After a rather complete display in game one, NSW will face a totally different challenge come Wednesday night in Brisbane. Not only will they come up against a Queensland team who's backs are up against the wall, but they will also have to do without standout prop James Tamou and well they don't really loose too much with Nathan Merritt coming in for Blake Ferguson.

I'll start with them jokers south of the border. How will they fare with two pretty big changes and one minor one? For starters James Tamou is one of the best props in the game and this was on display in origin one. With mobility and speed around the ruck chosen as the go to option for NSW, Tamou provided two very important skills. First of all is his ability to bend the line and trouble defenders with footwork. Big blokes with nimble feet are an asset in the NRL and Tamou is at the forefront of this. Secondly, Tamou has the ability to offload which when combined with quick guys following through, is lethal. Thanks to a silly decision, Tamou will not be there in Brisbane. NSW have named a more than capable replacement in Aaron Woods but the problem is, Woods won't instill any fear in Maroon minds. He is a solid front rower who has a vast array of skills, but he is not on par with Tamou.

I think the loss of Jarryd Hayne will also make things much harder for NSW. Hayne has looked a different player this year. While he has not quite reached the dizzying heights of 09, Hayne appears to be much more well rounded and capable of being a leader. In game one, he was everywhere, returning kicks with vigour as well as displaying the skills of a halfback in the attacking zone. While Josh Dugan is equally as dynamic as Hayne, he doesn't quite possess the all round game that NSW need. Hayne is able to come in to the attacking line and deliver 20m passes to his team mates chest. Dugan can't do this, so it will be interesting to see how Dugan is used. My guess is that Dugan will be the man on the end of many plays as opposed to delivering the final pass.

How will NSW fare in Brisbane? Suncorp Stadium will provide a surface that will encourage fast, open rugby league. With a mobile forward pack, swift backs and playmakers capable of providing finesse, the Blues might relish this opportunity. Luke Lewis was huge in game one running against the grain searching for a lazy defender so expect the combination between himself and James Maloney especially, to provide a spark. Maloney will either be putting Lewis in to a gap, or expect to see Maloney running a great line with Lewis showing his array of skills, putting Maloney in to the clear. It was also evident in game one, how vital Robbie Farrah is to NSW. Farrah has become just as important as Paul Gallen with regards to leadership and if the Tigers rake is able to have an influence on the game then NSW could be going back to Sydney as champions.

The Maroons must some how find a way to get out of their low gears. In game one, QLD couldn't get any momentum thanks to some excellent work by the boys in blue. Now I will try figure out what QLD will do to tie the series...

Corey Parker made an immediate impact when he came of the bench in game one and has been rewarded with a start at lock. Parker offers so much more than Ash Harrison despite playing a very similar role. Parker is a bit bigger and is capable of causing some damage both on attack and defence. He also has an offload or five in him which will be very important as QLD will look to get the likes of Billy Slater and Greg Inglis in space against an unstructured defensive line.

The inclusion of Daly Cherry-Evans means that QLD will play a similar style to when Darren Lockyer was playing and Cooper Cronk had a bench spot. DCE is a very strong defender and is probably second only to Manly team mate Kieran Foran in my group of halves who can defend well. This means that he could come on and defend in the middle while offering another play making option in attack. With someone like Ben Barba, QLD would have to make allowances for him on defence whereas DCE can hold his own on defence and get QLD firing on attack.

Somehow, QLD need to get Greg Inglis quality ball. In the last 20mins of game one, Inglis moved in field to get his hands on the ball. There were a few set plays designed for this purpose which tells me that QLD already had a plan there. In game two this plan needs to work. The more chances Inglis has, the more NSW will over compensate opening opportunities for Slater, Justin Hodges, Cam Smith, Jonathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk. When you have a plethora of attacking weapons, you have to ensure that each weapon is given a chance. In game one, QLD couldn't give their weapons a chance thanks to the work of NSW so they must figure out a way to get around this.

Looks like it's going to be a real humdinger with Queensland coming out on top by 12.