Hell with the lid taken off ... that's a bold prediction of the 80 minutes of fury at the MCG on Wednesday night when NSW attempt to square the 2015 State of Origin series.
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The match will be the antithesis of the first time these two teams met at Melbourne's cathedral of sport, a game of numbing caution that anaesthetised a then-Australian record rugby league crowd of 87,161.
The Blues had to win then, following Mark Coyne's last-minute miracle try in Sydney. There is a simple formula for doing this - superior defence, completing your sets, and boring the opposition into risky passes and intercepts.
Sydney-based commentators will seize on that 1994 series for comparison, hoping the hype will see history repeat itself. The competing captains then - NSW's Laurie Daley and Queensland's Mal Meninga - are their teams' coaches now. NSW won 14-0 in Melbourne and took the decider in Brisbane.
However, rather than confine the comparison to a single year, a more telling analogy is the three fights between Joe Frazier (NSW) and Muhammad Ali (Queensland).
The first (Fight of the Century on March 8, 1971) was similar to challenger NSW taking the title away from champion Queensland last year. Ali was the older champion with the superior ring sense against the brawnier but slower Frazier. In a big upset, Frazier exploded the last of his shells from that big left gun to put Ali down in the last round, just as NSW's left side attack put Hodkinson in for the deciding try.
The highly anticipated rematch took place on January 28, 1974, but was a dud of a fight, devoid of passion, much like this year's Origin I in Sydney. Ali won this non-title fight on points in a boring bout that didn't match the hype.
But the third meeting (Thrilla in Manila) is now recognised as the greatest fight in boxing history.
The two heavyweights set out to destroy each other before Frazier's cornerman, Eddie Futch, threw in the towel before the start of the 15th round with the badly injured Frazier protesting in his corner. Ali, who collapsed in the ring, said it was the closest he had ever come to death.
Wednesday's MCG match could well be Origin's greatest, expunging the memory of that 1994 yawner in the Victorian capital.
This time, NSW will need to abandon their game of numbing predictability. There is a template in the first try in Sydney this year when James Tamou chanced an offload to fullback Josh Dugan who kicked for Josh Morris to scoop up the ball and score.
Queensland can be put off their game, particularly without their stabiliser, Cooper Cronk, who has been replaced by Daly Cherry-Evans, a man booed by a Brisbane crowd last weekend.
Each camp is seeking to rattle the other's psyche, evidenced by some of the comment.
It is rare for sportspeople to declare their hatred for each other, yet NSW captain Robbie Farah has said of Queensland: "They hate me but that's fine because I hate them."
Frazier said of Ali: "It's real hatred. I want to hurt him. I want to take his heart out."
Yet some of the barbs border on the comical in their intent to draw a response, just as Ali's reference to Frazier as an "Uncle Tom" caused a confused Joe to think Ali was accusing him of being a pervert. He indignantly denied peeping in bedroom windows.
Before the final fight, Futch alleged that in the second bout Ali used illegal tactics to tie Joe up, prolong the clinches and give himself a rest. Futch reported 133 such incidents to the boxing commission to have his choice of referee, Carlos Padilla jnr, appointed to the third fight.
Similarly, NSW's Daley has complained to NRL referees boss Tony Archer of Queensland being offside and slowing down the play-the-balls, with illegal tactics.
Interestingly, Futch's complaints influenced the referee but did not yield the result he sought. Ali's persistent holding and clinches, which caused the second fight to be so disappointing, were stopped.
The third fight became an ugly, yet open hunt. Dancing was for the ballroom. No more rope-a-dope like NSW in 1994, winning by conserving energy.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at the MCG will witness a game played in a gathering rage.
An American boxing pundit offered a comment on the Ali-Frazier rivalry that is chillingly relevant to the coming hell-on-earth battle between the Blues and Maroons: "They weren't fighting for the championship of the world. They were fighting for the championship of each other".
