State of Origin: Ten players to watch

He may be a premiership half-back already at the tender age of 24 but Daly Cherry-Evans finally gets his chance to strut his stuff on the Origin stage.

Josh Dugan's rollercoaster of a year has gone from the lows of being dumped by Canberra to now the highs of returning to Origin football. Will the NRL bad boy become NSW's angel?

Like Paul Gallen, there will be plenty of focus on how Nate Myles will react to the antics of game one. Never one to shirk from a contest, Myles' metres are going to be important in a must-win game for Queensland.

Just who Paul Gallen will start a fight with next will be the big question for Paul Gallen on Wednesday night. His fight with Nate Myles added extra spice to what already will be a feisty encounter at Suncorp.

Slater is a natural try-scorer as well as a fullback with some of the greatest defensive instincts in the game. Just watch how much ground he covers collecting a kick, or to support a line-break.

Nathan Merritt will have to step into the breach left by Josh Ferguson's suspension. An impressive 11 tries this season means he will be a serious threat that Queensland will have to contain.

The ultimate X-factor for Queensland. When they need a big play, expect G.I. to be the one making it.

Game one would have been extremely bittersweet for Josh Reynolds. Winning the battle for NSW selection against John Sutton, Reynolds didn't even get on the pitch at ANZ Stadium. Let's hope he gets a well-deserved run this time around.

Line breaks and off-loads - Hodges does these two things best. Watching him break down the NSW line is a thing of beauty.

He was full of confidence on account of a red-hot Roosters outfit early in the year, but Jennings has been unable to recapture that form. However the former-Panther does not shy away from the big moments.