There is no doubt about it - the New South Wales Blues must be built different to what they were last year if they want to flip the tide of back-to-back State of Origin series losses.
In fairness, there is little doubt the Blues will have changes both at the selection table and in the way they approach and play this year's Origin series on the park.
That comes with the territory of having a new coach, with Blues fans optimistic about what is to come following the exit of Brad Fittler, and appointment of Michael Maguire.
There is little doubt that Fittler's time in charge ended horribly. He is a Blues' legend on the field, but that didn't translate to the coaches box. Instead of being able to build what realistically should have been the start of a dynasty while Queensland rebuilt their own line up, he was totally and utterly out-coached by Billy Slater over each of the last two campaigns in all aspects of the job.
Being out-coached is one thing of course, and some of the selections Fittler made were baffling. Tevita Pangai Junior's inclusion at the start of last year's dismal series, which was over in straight sets, headlines the case study, but there were certainly other head-scratchers over the last 24 months.
Josh Addo-Carr's inclusion last year, after being dropped for the 2022 series, was another which didn't make a great deal of sense. Essentially, it was a selection which appeared to be borne out of his performances for the Kangaroos at the Rugby League World Cup the off-season prior, rather than his performances with the Canterbury Bulldogs.
That's not to pin the entire series loss on a winger or even one player - you can't do that. The simple fact is the men from south of the Tweed simply weren't good enough at any point during the first two games of the series.
But that's not to say there aren't learning experiences, and maybe the biggest one in Origin over the last three years is that possession, running metres, territory and taking pressure off your halves and forwards is what actually wins games.
Yes, individual moments of brilliance, incredible defensive sets or consistent attack is what may get the plaudits, but it's those metres from the back which have been the key difference in the sides over the last three years.
At Origin level, there often isn't all that much to split the teams. They are not built that differently, and generally feature players all on a pretty comparable level.
That means it does come down to selections, how the teams gel, and effort.
That effort factor is a big one, and particularly the case for the back five.
In 2021, when the Blues last picked up the chocolates in an Origin series, they absolutely dominated the two wins from the back of the field.
Game 1 was an absolute rout - 50 points to 6. James Tedesco made 212 metres, Brian To'o 233, Latrell Mitchell 167, Tom Trbojevic 215, and Josh Addo-Carr 115.
In a 26-0 win in Game 2, James Tedesco made 234 metres, Brian To'o 230, Latrell Mitchell 176, Tom Trbojevic 180 and Josh Addo-Carr 103.
Compare that to the Maroons across the two games, and the only players who cracked three figures in the backs were Kurt Capewell playing as a centre in Game 1 for 103 metres, Valentine Holmes at 146 metres in Game 1, and in Game 2, Holmes and Dane Gagai sneaked past 100, while Capewell made 181.
The difference is absolutely stark, with Mitchell and Trbojevic in roaming rolls both in contention for player of the series.
Fast forward though, and the script flips completely with the result in 2022 and 2023 with both Mitchell and Trbojevic out, heaping the pressure on the Blues.
In all five of their six losses, their back five was totally outmatched by the Maroons when it came to getting sets off to a good start and easing pressure on the big men or the creative players. There really is absolutely no doubt around just how much pressure those strong set starts put on defensive players either.
In the 2023 series sweep, the Maroons outworked the Blues from start to finish, albeit by not as great a margin as the Blues had in 2021. Ultimately, the banana benders didn't need to, given their complete and utter dominance all over the park.
Heading into the 2024 series, it's a somewhat familiar set of challenges in front of the Blues, with Tom Trbojevic sidelined due to injury and Latrell Mitchell's form doing whatever the opposite of demanding selection is.
Nathan Cleary joins them on the sideline in a major blow to the Blues' kicking game.
What that means is New South Wales need to pick players not afraid of doing the hard yards and making big rus out of their own end, because, without a doubt, there will be challenging periods throughout this series where a big start to a set could be the difference between being under pressure for minutes on end and not.
That's not saying running metres is a requirement of the back five if someone is good enough without them, but it absolutely must be used as the tie-breaker, and as it stands at the moment, there are a number of positions which are a toss up.
James Tedesco against Dylan Edwards at the back is just one example.
Edwards has made a ridiculous 2,165 metres so far this year despite having one less game than some of the players around him.
He leads the stat by over 250 metres for the season total, and given he provides consistency, the question must be asked whether it's enough to give him the selection edge over the incumbent captain.
On the wings, Brian To'o is one of the best metre-eaters in the game, but there have been real questions about the other position.
Josh Addo-Carr's form hasn't been good enough, but Zac Lomax, while playing poorly in the centres, has arguably been the form winger of the competition. Averaging 182 metres per game and sitting sixth for total run metres, that may well be enough to get him the edge.
In the centres, there are also questions, although less than there were before Trbojevic's injury.
Bradman Best and Stephen Crichton are the commonly favoured options, but neither feature in the top 50 for run metres so far this season.
Neither have let the Blues down previously, but does that indicate a lack of willingness to go and do the hard yards?
There should be a spot for at least one of them, but it may be also exceptionally tough to leave out Joseph Suaalii (141 metres per game) or Jesse Ramien (147 metres per game) when it comes time for Maguire to pick his back five.
Whichever way the new coach goes, he must realise this is a key area of the side to ensure the Blues are Built Different from the dross dished up last year.
Momentum, territory and possession in Origin is absolutely everything. Whichever players are picked need to be up to that task, as well as a bundle of others.
The Blues and their fans will be hoping Maguire realises it.
You know what else is Built Different? The PointsBet App!
