THE stage is set, the battle lines drawn and, after weeks of speculation, the teams have been selected.
It was mixed emotions for Cronulla and St George Illawarra players as NSW coach Laurie Daley selected his 18-man squad to take on Queensland in game one of this year's State of Origin series.
Game one, on Wednesday night at ANZ Stadium, is the only match to be played in Sydney in 2015 with games two and three in Melbourne and Brisbane.
NSW and Cronulla captain Paul Gallen was ruled out of the opening clash with a hip injury after a meeting with Daley last Friday.
It is unclear whether Gallen will be fit for Origin II.
The 33-year-old is not the only Sharks player missing from the 2014 series.
Backrower Luke Lewis, a veteran of 17 Origins for NSW, was left out as Daley chose to blood younger forwards in Canterbury's David Klemmer and Josh Jackson.
Cronulla's Andrew Fifita will return to Origin for the first time since 2013 after he was selected on the bench.
St George Illawarra fullback Josh Dugan has won the race to wear the No.1 jersey while fellow Dragon Trent Merrin is on the bench.
Rising Dragons forward Tyson Frizell was named 18th man.
The Corrimal Cougars junior broke into representative football playing for Country against City earlier this season at Wagga Wagga.
Frizell, 23, has also played five internationals for Wales.
Hooker Robbie Farah has replaced Gallen as NSW captain.
NSW won last year's series 2-1, despite scoring only 26 points in three games.
But it will be a new-look NSW team from last year, with the Blues without Jarryd Hayne (NFL), Josh Reynolds, Luke Lewis, Anthony Watmough (not selected), Gallen, Brett Morris (injury) and Greg Bird (suspension).
Queensland coach Mal Meninga has stuck with the core of players who have brought the team success.
BLUES
Josh Dugan; Daniel Tupou, Michael Jennings, Josh Morris, Will Hopoate; Mitchell Pearce, Trent Hodkinson; Aaron Woods, Robbie Farah (c), James Tamou, Ryan Hoffman, Beau Scott, Josh Jackson; interchange: Trent Merrin, Boyd Cordner, David Klemmer, Andrew Fifita.
MAROONS
Billy Slater, Will Chambers, Greg Inglis, Justin Hodges, Darius Boyd, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Matt Scott, Cameron Smith (c), Nate Myles, Sam Thaiday, Aidan Guerra, Corey Parker; interchange: Daly Cherry-Evans, Josh McGuire, Matt Gillett, Jacob Lillyman.