Danny The Worms Column today had something on this subject
Walking down the tunnel at ANZ Stadium about 20 minutes after full-time on Wednesday were two of the best, Justin Hodges and Johnathan Thurston.
They were laughing like winners do and if you were a Blues official or player you could easily have described their stride as having anarrogant swagger to it.
As they were within ear shot of the NSW room they were talking loudly to each other: 'Too old eh?" said Hodges. "Yeah, too old."
Inside the Blues room the talk among the playing group was anything but jovial.
The message was simple: "We need to play just like they do."
Discussion centred on four players – but mainly Billy Slater, who inthe Blues' eyes is allowed to get away with what he likes on the field. Their view is that Cam Smith exists in that same lawless world. Hodges got a mention too, as did Nate Myles. They are the four the Blues have had enough of.
Laurie Daley will have a meeting with referees boss Tony Archer in the next 24 hours to give him a heads-up that it's "game on" in Melbourne.
Daley won't cop it any more. Never the type to stir trouble, Daley knows that his nice guy image can work against him and his team; that his players will play in a similar vein to the way that Queensland played.
When Slater dropped the shoulder into Josh Dugan, NSW skipper Robbie Farah was ushered away when he wanted something and told that Slater would be talked to.
The Blues are still waiting.
And then there was the elbow into Josh Morris; Daley wants his players to follow that lead and attack Queensland players on the ground when they are defenceless and see if they cop the same punishment that Slater did – none.
As a Blues official explained to this column, Slater has done it for years. They have not forgotten his shot on Mitchell Pearce in his previous incarnation as an Origin player.
The problem for NSW is that Slater is considered a cleanskin by the powers who run the game – and it appears he can do no wrong.
What would have happened if a player like Greg Bird had done what Slater did? Be sure there would have been on-field action.
But Daley will tell Archer that he is now aware of the ground rules and they will play to the standard that was set by Queensland in game one. Smith's shot on Pearce, which nearly broke his nose, has been highlighted as well.
Hodges is generally despised on the field and the Myles hit on Dave Klemmer late in the game was a penalty in most other arenas.
You will notice that Daley is not quoted here – there is a view from the Blues that they should not say too much in the media about Queensland and their tactics.
And when I asked Morris about the Slater hit he gave me a knowing look and said: "That's Origin."
Skipper Farah was aware of the incidents and said of the Klemmer shot: "Klemmer is a tough kid – most players would have stayed down after that hit."
The same goes for Pearce – but his club has a policy of not lying down.
Most of the players were following the game plan of not ripping in to the Maroons – except James Tamou who played the game of his life.
"I do get angry about those things, especially when it's on my teammate – that fuels it for the next game," he said. "This feeling won't go away. It's not just Billy, it's most of them and we have to fight fire with fire. I know that Queensland will target me now but that's OK, that's week-in week-out. But it's hard to go into a video session seeing what he did to my teammate. What Billy Slater did ... there was no need for it."
This column attempted to contact Slater to allow him the opportunity to explain his tackles, but did not get a call back.