Former State of Origin winner and NRL premiership-winner Jamie Soward has revealed exactly what an Origin week looks like for players.
The former Rooster, Dragon and Panther played all three games in the 2011 series for the Blues, having guided the Dragons to a breakthrough premiership the year before.
He joined Phoenix Trinidad, Lee Addison and Darren Parkin on The Loose Carry Podcast this week, and was quizzed about exactly what an Origin preparation looks like, particularly for the debutants.
"I got to make my debut at the Cauldron. I was very excited. You go out today [Monday] to have a look at the ground, then tomorrow [Tuesday] is captain's run out there. It's very short, very sharp," Soward said on this week's episode of the show.
"Then you are pretty much just getting ready for the game. All the work is done ahead of what is going to be a cracker on Wednesday night.
"Right now, you're relaxed, you're taking it easy, you're enjoying it because you know that the last six or seven days has been enjoyable that you're getting ready to go into battle with."
He said game day starts with a team walk, then the preparation will go very quickly for the players despite the 8:05pm kick-off time.
"We'd go for a team walk. I think on Wednesday morning we'd go about 9 or 10 o'clock, hang out for maybe an hour, then your prep goes really quickly," Soward said.
"I know that sounds weird. You play at 8 o'clock, but it goes really really quickly. By the time you get back, have lunch, have a stretch, have a nap, wake up about 3 o'clock, you're sort of ready to go.
"For me, I was pretty much OCD, I loved to prepare the same way and went into Origin with the same mentality, that I wasn't going to change things. You enjoy the 8 o'clock kick-off because you get a chance to really be ready to go.
"I didn't alter too much, but nice and easy on game day, very very relaxed environment. Some guys like to play PlayStation, some guys like to read, watch movies. You usually get a movie in there which is good."
Soward said he believes Game 1 of the series - which has been widely tipped as a Blues run away - will be anything but.
"I think both these sides match up closer than what we think. Some of the battles... Robert Toia against Latrell Mitchell for me is must-watch TV, and I think the halves as well. Cameron Munster and Daly Cherry-Evans have been there a lot before together and won series. Mitchell Moses and Nathan Cleary, it's the first time they have played together," the former Origin player said.
Watch this week's episode of The Loose Carry Podcast on the Zero Tackle YouTube Channel.
