'It's our chance': Maroons look to Fatty's crew to rewrite MCG history

However, the side have refused to buy into the power of hoodoo, with everyone from coach Billy Slater to players Harry Grant, Trent Loiero, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Kurt Capewell dismissing the poor record. 

“I'm really looking forward to (playing at the MCG), I think it's going to be a great occasion, obviously, do or die,” said Capewell, one of only two Maroons players even alive in '95 along with Cameron Munster.

“Hopefully all the Queenslanders will show up for us.

“This is us this year. It's our chance to do something and hopefully we can stand up and get it done.”

Forward Fa’asuamaleaui has his own personal and powerful motivation for performing well in Game Two, playing for his ‘hero’, father Fereti who passed away this week  from cancer.

The passionate prop rejoined the Maroons squad in Melbourne on Monday after speaking time with family at his father’s bedside.

“We're not worried about it, if you're worried about that stat now, you've obviously beaten yourself already,” Fa’asuamaleaui said, speaking earlier in camp.

“So for us as a team, it's a new year … no-one (sic) was born then, so, does it really matter?

“We've got a job to do and if it's in Melbourne, Gympie, wherever we have to play, in the car park, we'll turn up with the right attitude and make sure we get our job done for Queensland.”

Storm forward Trent Loiero was looking forward to the occasion of bringing Origin to his ‘home’ supporters and said the side would draw from their strong opening to Game One, but look to complete the job.

“It would be very special, I think … (to break the hoodoo),” Loiero said.

“(The MCG record) is pretty wild, but I think we haven't put too much energy into that.

“We're just more worried about what we can do at the camp, this camp this week and training, preparing the best we can and hopefully going down there and putting in a performance.

“In Game One, we were very close and I think, just a little bit off the mark, (so we) didn't get the result, but I think we showed the type of footy we can play.

“It is disheartening to lose, but it just shows we can play that type of footy and we know what we're capable of.

“If we can go replicate that and with a few minor changes to what we're doing, I think it will put us in good stead.”

However, both Grant and Slater acknowledged the achievement of coach Fatty Vautin and his 1995 underdogs who were written off before the series to stun the Blues with a rare whitewash.

Slater said his insights had helped the Maroons turn around a similarly poor record in Perth last year.

“Might have to give Fatty a call, get a couple of tips off him,” Slater joked at the start of Game Two camp.

“He gave us a couple of tips last year that sort of helped us …

“We didn't have a great record over in Perth, we changed a few things up and it changed our performance up.

“Our preparation is key for what's ahead.”

Grant said as a Queensland fan, the achievements of that team were still a source of inspiration, but the time was now to rewrite that history.

“We always draw on the past and are in touch with the history and what it means to be a Queenslander,” Grant said.

“There are so many Queenslanders that have put the jersey in this position.

“Fatty’s ‘Neville Nobodies’ are a team that certainly did that in 1995 with their defensive efforts and courage that they showed throughout that series.

“A lot of Queenslanders still talk about and are very proud of that team.

“It is a pretty good team to base your game off.

“I think there is already going to be talk around it or speculation, but as a team you can’t give (hoodoos) much attention.

"(They) are what you make of it … you can give it attention if you want, but at the end of the day it doesn’t mean anything.

“The conditions don’t change. It’s always the same 80 minutes on the same size field every week.

“You can certainly take a bit from their side, but at the end of the day it is an open book now and we have got to write a story.”

A record crowd is set to pack into the MCG for Game Two of the State of Origin series. Tickets are selling fast, so click here to get yours before they sell out.