It was one of the greatest State of Origin wins of all time and now Queensland enforcer Josh Papalii wants to bring that momentum back to ignite the Canberra Raiders' season.
Fresh from a gruelling Origin 2, Papalii said the Green Machine's clash against Brisbane at Canberra Stadium on Saturday was massive because they were desperate for wins to keep their finals hopes alive.
![Josh Papalii wants to use the momentum from Queensland's Origin win to kick-start the Green Machine.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170623232338im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/w/h/c/y/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gww5kp.png/1498126218200.jpg)
In a big boost for the Raiders, Broncos captain and fullback Darius Boyd has been ruled out due to a broken thumb and will undergo surgery.
Papalii came off the bench and played through the middle in the Maroons' remarkable come-back victory over the NSW Blues.
It kept the Origin series alive with the decider at Suncorp Stadium in three weeks, which will also double as future Immortal Johnathan Thurston's final Origin game.
A wounded Thurston (shoulder) inspired the 18-16 victory and Papalii was confident not only would the North Queensland playmaker be fit for Origin 3, but also would be right to face the Raiders at Canberra Stadium next weekend as well.
The Maroons went into half-time trailing the Blues 16-6 at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night, but fought back in the second half to level the series at one-all.
Papalii said it was the best win of his eight Origin games so far.
"I think it was. Coming into half-time down that amount of points down in an Origin - that's pretty big," Papalii said.
"[Queensland coach Kevin Walters] said if we pull this out it will be one of the greatest Origin wins in history and it's just good to be a part of.
"Honestly, having Billy [Slater] and JT back definitely was some positive signs for Queensland, but in saying that it was good to tie up the series and hopefully play the decider in three weeks."
Papalii spent Thursday driving back from Sydney with family and friends - rather than opting for one of his trademark dashes home straight after the game - but was then looking to use the Origin triumph as a catalyst for Canberra's season.
The 25-year-old has been one of the Raiders' best this year, but they're looking to break back-to-back losses with victory over the fourth-placed Broncos.
Canberra have had a stop-start season and sit outside the top eight by two points.
While they still have 10 games remaining before finals, Papalii stressed how important it was to start the ball rolling against the Broncos.
On Wednesday, he was playing alongside fellow Queenslanders Matt Gillett, Josh McGuire and Boyd, but will front up against the first two for premiership points on Saturday.
Papalii said that's just football - teammates one day, enemies the next.
But he was hoping the fact Brisbane would take in two battle-weary forwards while Papalii was the Raiders' only Origin player would give the home side the edge.
"I'm looking forward to coming back and hopefully putting in a big performance against the Broncos," he said.
"These games really matter for us at the moment, sitting in 10th spot, it's something we need to address pretty quickly and get a few wins pretty quickly.
"Most of the Broncs boys played long minutes [in Origin] so hopefully we can use our fresh boys to get on top of the tired bodies because we're desperate for wins and finals is just around the corner."
He was also confident he'll be facing Thurston when the Cowboys come to Canberra Stadium in about a week.
Thurston's shoulder will become one of the most talked about joints in Australia until there's been a diagnosis on his injury.
But Papalii was expecting he would not only be right for Origin 3, but also to play in Canberra next weekend.
"I think he'll be alright to play against us before the third Origin, hopefully that's the case," Papalii said.
"I think he'll be fine. He just had a few bruises on the shoulder, but he's pretty professional and I expect him to play next week or even back up this week. Hopefully see him in game three."
NRL ROUND 16
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Brisbane Broncos at Canberra Stadium, 5.30pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
Raiders squad: 1. Jack Wighton 2. Nick Cotric 3. Jarrod Croker (C) 4. Joey Leilua 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Blake Austin 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Junior Paulo 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Shannon Boyd 11. Josh Papalii 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Sia Soliola. Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste, 15. Luke Bateman, 16. Clay Priest, 17. Joe Tapine. Reserves: 18. Scott Sorensen, 19. Royce Hunt, 20. Dave Taylor, 21. Lachlan Croker.
Broncos squad: 1. Darius Boyd, 2. Corey Oates, 3. James Roberts, 4. Tautau Moga, 5. Jordan Kahu, 6. Benji Marshall, 7. Kodi Nikorima, 8. Korbin Sims, 9. Andrew McCullough, 10. Adam Blair, 11. Sam Thaiday, 12. Matt Gillett, 13. Josh McGuire. Interchange: 14. Alex Glenn, 15. Tevita Pangai, 16. Joe Ofahengaue, 17. Ben Hunt. Reserves: 18. Jai Arrow, 19. Jaydn Su'A, 20. Herman Ese'ese, 21. David Mead, 22. Jonus Pearson.