Instead of feeling dread, Smith said the prospect of putting their remarkable reign on the line in front of a rabid Blues crowd next week evoked a sense of deja vu.
Just once during their stunning run has Queensland sealed a series with victory in Sydney - way back in 2008.
NSW had drawn first blood with an 18-10 win, only to be ambushed 30-0 at Suncorp Stadium in game two.
The Maroons went on to clinch a third straight series with a 16-10 win at ANZ Stadium.
Fast forward to 2013 and Queensland are poised to repeat the feat after bouncing back from a 14-6 opening loss by thumping the Blues 26-6 at home.
Not that Smith had to be reminded after the memories came flooding back in the lead-up to next Wednesday night's Origin III showdown.
"We have been in this position before. It's almost identical to 2008," he said.
"It's a huge challenge going down there and getting a win.
"But it's about the belief of going down there and knowing we can win in Sydney.
"We didn't have that in game one (14-6 loss at ANZ Stadium).
"It's nice to have in the back of the mind that they are beatable down there even though it is a hostile environment.
"We will just have to get stuck into them and hopefully that generates a result for us."
Smith believed staring down NSW next week posed one of the greatest challenges of their record run - not that he was complaining.
"Everyone is waiting for us to fall over and there is going to be a day that happens but hopefully it is not this year," he said.
"They are getting better every year but we are still trying to improve.
"But we are a team that thrives on new challenges.
"And there's no bigger than going down to Sydney and facing a NSW side that has confidence.
"We look forward to it."
Stats may favour NSW ahead of Origin III but here's one the NSW faithful may not want to hear - for the first time since their unbeaten streak began in 2006, Queensland coach Mal Meninga named an unchanged 17 on Tuesday.
- AAP
