League: Setbacks will put fire in Blues, says Smith

Queensland hooker Cameron Smith. Photo / Getty Images

Queensland hooker Cameron Smith has warned that New South Wales coach Craig Bellamy will fire his players with a siege mentality after the most traumatic run-up to a State of Origin league game in 30 years.

Winger Timana Tahu's explosive walkout from the Blues last Friday has rocked the NSW camp along with the resignation of assistant coach Andrew Johns, whose racial comment triggered Tahu's action.

Melbourne captain Smith knows Bellamy, his club coach, extremely well and expects him to use the setbacks to further galvanise his team for tomorrow's second Origin match in Brisbane, which they must win to avoid a fifth straight series defeat.

"He'd try and use all these disruptions to pull them together and psych them into thinking it's us versus the rest of the world," said Smith. "We're expecting a better side than we played in Sydney.

"If they don't win, then it's five in a row and I'm guessing any player involved in that side, and the coach, will not want to be remembered as the side that lost five in a row."

Smith said his Melbourne coach had learned the "siege mentality" well from his mentor Wayne Bennett during their days together at the Broncos.

"Wayne was probably the best in the business at that. Whenever we'd play the Broncos and they'd had a big-name player injured or something else would happen, Craig would always warn us they'd come out fired up and they usually did."

Returning after injury kept him out of the game-one win, Smith admitted feeling empathy for Bellamy, who has also had to deal with fallout from the Melbourne salary cap scandal this season.

"Even though I want to beat him on Wednesday night, I do feel for Craig," Smith said.

"He's quite a passionate bloke about his club and his state side.

"He's been put through the wringer this year with Melbourne and now with Origin.

"After game one he copped a hiding in the media down there calling for him to be sacked and now he's gone through hell this week.

"The Melbourne stuff hit him pretty hard but he's a strong bloke and he's done really well to get through everything."

Queensland spent the weekend in camp at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast and Smith said they had done everything needed to win tomorrow night's game at Suncorp Stadium and secure another Origin series win.

- AAP