Come around 10pm tonight one team, the Maroons or the Blues, will be etched into Origin folklore forever.

Should Queensland win the decider, it will be just the second time we have won three consecutive series.

If the Blues hold the trophy aloft, they will be remembered as the side that beat a Queensland team wearing the favourites tag for the first time in yonks.

State of Origin: the story so far

All 34 players that take to the ANZ Stadium field will carry the weight of expectation of an entire state on their shoulders.

But two Blues forwards in particular will be under the spotlight:

Willie or won’t he?
No Blues player has been under more pressure than Willie Mason is this week.

He has been lambasted by the media.

Criticised from all angles after his below standard performance in Origin II.

To be fair, he wasn’t the only Cockroach forward to go missing in the 30-0 thrashing in front of all us “nutbag rednecks”, but so much is expected of the big fella because of his undeniable ability to swing a match.

Ten hit-ups and 18 tackles was a pretty meek offering for a player of his quality.

Several experts even believe his Origin career will go on the line tonight.

But if you think that kind of pressure will get to Willie at ANZ Stadium, think again.

Remember back in round four of the NRL, when Mason played his first game against his old club the Bulldogs after defecting to the Roosters?

On live TV, Mason declared he was setting himself for one of the biggest matches of his life.

The result? A crushing 40-12 Roosters win, with Mason scoring two tries and racking up 114 metres.

Our Maroons had better watch out tonight, because criticising Willie is like waving a red flag to a bull.

White isn’t right
While he will be wary of a big Willie scorned, one Blues forward that probably won’t feature heavily in Mal Meninga’s pre-game tactics is Brett White.

Seriously, if he is of Origin quality then I’m half a chance with Jessica Alba.
In Origin II, Melbourne’s White made just seven hit-ups for 46 metres.

From a starting prop, that’s just not good enough.

In my humble opinion White is one of those players who people believe is better than he actually is because he plays in a great club side.

Remember Steve “human turnstile” Turner in Origin II? Greg Inglis went straight through the Storm winger more times than a dodgy Indian curry.

Brent Kite, an incumbent Australian player, is a proven Origin performer but can’t get a look-in.

“Bellyache” must have his Storm glasses on, because the Manly prop who looks a lot like Bert from Sesame Street is a much better option than this bloke.