The State of Origin crystal ball Controversy around Greg Inglis's Origin eligibility isn't going anywhere. Laurie Daley can become a folk hero Craig Bellamy was intense. Ricky Stuart looked like he was ready to fly off the handle at any moment. Laurie Daley? Maybe he's just right for a New South Wales side holding out for a coaching hero. It's been interesting during the week to hear players speak of the similarities between Daley and Queensland coach Mal Meninga, who plans impeccably for Origin but likes to keep things relaxed and stress free. Meninga has become an Origin icon more so now than when he was playing. If Daley can get the Blues home, he will take steps down the same path. GI Blues Far from going away, the Greg Inglis controversy only gets more intense every year. There's been a long list of players - from both states - who may have been born elsewhere but ended up playing in a blue or maroon jumper. Inglis remains the most divisive member of that club, mostly because he's an unbelievable player. If Inglis plays a blinder tonight, which he's quite adept to in Origin, expect the volume of derision to be cranked up again tomorrow. The new boys NSW like the look of some of their fresh recruits and so they should. James Maloney, lovingly described as a 'rat' by Johnathan Thurston during the week, seems like the type of guy who will enjoy the theatre of it all. And Andrew Fifita has been one of the in-form forwards in the NRL and will bring some tackle-busting gusto from the NSW bench. Suggestions that Blake Ferguson will be the NSW Inglis are idiotic at this point but he's a great talent. Plus, he adds size, which is important in what looks like to me a NSW three-quarter line short on size against Inglis and Justin Hodges. Forgotten men Every year, when Ash Harrison is named in the Maroons squad, even a few Queenslanders scratch their head. And if he's underrated in the north, he's barely noticed in the south. The same could be said about Corey Parker, another less-than-sexy addition to the Maroons bench. But Harrison is a gun in Origin and will have a fresh spring in his step after a week of relative rest for a body that has been dinged up at the Titans. And Parker, aside from making metres in the middle, represents a big second-phase danger for the Blues with his offloads. Expect nobody to expect much from that pair tonight. But both will have a major influence on proceedings. Of form and failure The school of thought that some handy club form going into Origin gives the Blues an edge has translated into the home side being favourites for game one. It's certainly true that they bring in some talent that is firing at club level, Fifita, Michael Jennings and Jarryd Hayne just a few examples. But this Blues squad also carries a healthy percentage of players who just haven't been able to get their side over the line in the past. That memory will either drive them or be a weight on their shoulders if it comes down to the wire. Queensland may have a few players, like Johnathan Thurston, not performing at their best in the NRL. But Inglis is the hottest player in the game right now and his presence alone is a major factor.