Origin the last frontier for NSW giant Haas to conquer
Payne Haas will be hoping to translate club form to State of Origin dominance for the Blues.
At NRL level there are few front-rowers who can turn a game on its head the way Payne Haas so often does for the Brisbane Broncos.
But as he prepares for his 13th game for NSW, the giant prop has yet to translate his dominance into State of Origin.
Haas trained with the rest of the Blues squad at the Blue Mountains Grammar School on Thursday.
The 24-year-old stands out among Blues teammates with his giant 119kg frame, and Haas will be required to throw his weight around if NSW are to win in Melbourne next Wednesday and level the series.
His durability and club form have ensured Haas has always been a mainstay of Blues squads since making his Origin debut in 2019, just 10 games into his NRL career.
But given neither fellow prop Jake Trbojevic nor lock Cameron Murray are big metre-eaters, Haas's ability to lay the platform for the likes of Mitchell Moses to weave their magic will be crucial.
"I don't think anyone makes 200 metres in the middle in an Origin game," Haas told AAP.
"People will see my club form and it's (unrealistic) to think I'm going to get 200 metres every game.
"To be honest that's not going to happen.
"Origin is such a different game and it's fast-paced and you're taking on the best players, so nothing is given to you easily."
Statistics show Haas's average run metres, tackle busts and offload frequency at Origin level are all down on his efforts for the Broncos.
But it could be argued his hopes of asserting his dominance haven't been helped that during his seven starts for his state, Haas has had five different front-row partners.
Blues great turned Fox Sports pundit Steve Roach has claimed Queensland have limited Haas's destruction because he is so often carrying NSW forward on his own.
"Origin is a different game from club (football), you've got to do little things right in Origin," Haas said.
"I feel like that's what I base my game on in Origin: effort areas, getting into kick chase, kick pressure.
"When I have to run the ball I'll run the ball, but I solely just want to do my job for the team."
Haas believes the NSW middle proved they could stand up to Queensland in the series opener, despite having to play most the game with just 12 players on the field.
"I felt like we did well to hold up our middle with 12 men," Haas said.
"But we know this is a big game, in game two, and I'm looking forward to going up against a good Queensland forward pack."
ORIGIN V NRL - HOW PAYNE HAAS COMPARES
WIN RATE - NRL: 47 per cent - Origin: 33 per cent
RUN METRES PER GAME - NRL: 159m - Origin: 113m
TACKLE BUSTS PER GAME - NRL: 4 - Origin: 1.5
OFFLOADS PER GAME - NRL: 1.18 - Origin: 0.83
TACKLES PER GAME - NRL: 25 - Origin: 28