Updated June 20, 2017 15:00:44

Photo: Blues coach Laurie Daley rates Coen Hess (2nd L) as a big inclusion to the Maroons' side for Origin II. (AAP: Dave Hunt)

Tomorrow night. Sydney Olympic Park. The Blues with the chance to claim their first State of Origin series since 2014. The pressure is on.

You can forgive coach Laurie Daley for being nervous when asked if he wished the game would be played tonight.

"Ah yeah," he said with a giggle.

"It's a massive build up but I'm pretty calm and upbeat about things."

After a dominant 28-4 victory over the Maroons in the series opener last month, New South Wales will head into Game II as a well-backed favourite, despite Queensland's inclusion of champions Johnathan Thurston and Billy Slater.

Despite the hype, Daley said his players could not afford to let their minds wander too much in the lead up to the match.

"We've just gotta make sure that we don't play our game before we get there," he said.

"At 8:10 or whatever it is tomorrow night, that's when we are at our peak and we can sustain that for 80 or 90 minutes whatever it takes."

While everyone who witnessed would say the Blues completely outplayed the Maroons on their home turf on May 31, Daley said in the washup he did not think there was much between the two teams.

Photo: Blues coach Laurie Daley says there is not too much between the teams ahead of Origin II. (AAP: Paul Miller)

"After that first half of football Queensland could have been in front at half-time," he said.

"They had their moments in the second half where that game could have quite easily turned ... moments swing matches and we had those in the first game and we've gotta make sure we win them in the second game because things can turn pretty quickly."

Much talk has surrounded the shakeup of the Queensland team after the loss.

Experienced forwards Aidan Guerra, Nate Myles, Sam Thaiday and Jacob Lillyman were all dropped, with favour given to young guns Coen Hess and Jarrod Wallace, the experienced Gavin Cooper, and Tim Glasby who was dubbed an "NRL nobody" by media.

Daley said he thought this pack was better than what Queensland rolled out in Game I.

"Their forwards are stronger and our guys have to be on guard because were not going to turn up tomorrow night and do what we did in Origin one," he said.

"A guy like Glasby played in last year's grand final, Wallace is a guy that's been spoken about for a while and we all know the ability of Coen Hess, I think he's one of the most exciting young players we have seen in a while.

"They are a lot better team."

Topics: sport, rugby-league, state-of-origin, sydney-2000, nsw, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted June 20, 2017 11:25:38