Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans insists complacency is “a dirty word” in the Maroons' camp as their preparations for game two of the State of Origin series continue to unfold without a glitch.
Last year before the game three decider at Suncorp Stadium, the Maroons had Cameron Munster and Murray Taulagi ruled out with COVID in camp, before winning against the odds by 22-12.
In this camp, there have been no dramas or injuries. There has hardly been a cloud in the sky at their base of Sanctuary Cove, at the northern tip of the Gold Coast, and on the ground it has been smooth sailing ahead of Wednesday night’s showdown with NSW.
But Cherry-Evans, coach Billy Slater and his assistants Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and Josh Hannay have been around long enough not to be lulled into any sense of complacency.
"In rugby league in general, it is a dirty word,” Cherry-Evans said.
“I have been coached mainly by (former Manly coach) Des Hasler. If you think Des Hasler allows complacency, then you are kidding.
“He taught me a lot of stuff, and that's one of them. You have a look at our coach and coaches - they didn't show complacency.
“They are helping us understand how to avoid that. The things we can control I think we are doing really well.
“We enjoy each other's company and we train bloody hard to set ourselves up for a good game on Wednesday night."
In an episode of the hit comedy Seinfeld, the character Frank Costanza calls out “Serenity Now” to bring peace and tranquillity to himself amid the chaos of his family’s daily life.
This camp at Sanctuary Cove has appeared from the outside looking in to be the “Serenity Now” camp of bliss compared to several previous drama-filled preparations.
For a team that thrives on being underdogs and adopting a siege mentality, it doesn’t feel right.
The Blues on the other hand, trailing one-nil in the series, have had injuries with star centre Latrell Mitchell pulling out with a calf injury.
Forwards Cameron Murray and Liam Martin entered camp under injury clouds. The team's selections and methods have come under fire externally.
Cherry-Evans, however, was not buying into any “Serenity Now” narratives.
"That's just one perception of it," Cherry-Evans grinned.
"We are certainly not viewing it as a seamless camp. It is Origin. We have to prepare for an Origin game.
“If you are looking at it as a seamless transition from one game into the next you are kidding yourself because you are going to sell yourself very short to what is going to happen out there on Wednesday night.
"We've had to make a few changes because of injury, so it is not as if we are rolling out the same side again.”
The Maroons will enter the match with hooker Ben Hunt's future at St George Illawarra under a cloud after he requested a release from his contract.
“He hasn’t allowed it to distract himself and he hasn't allowed it to distract the team. If anything it has given us something to tease him about,” Cherry-Evans said.
