The most interesting part of his Origin preparation was that he didn't stay with the team on the night before the game, instead he stayed with his childhood friend Matthew Lodge.

Lodge, who has a chequered history, has been given a second chance by Wayne Bennett and is playing with Redcliffe in the Queensland Cup.

I saw Fifita return to the team hotel about 9am on game day. There was no sinister reason for him to be out of camp ??? it was an issue with the airconditioning in the team hotel. Fifita is a big aircon man; his roommate Nathan Peats isn't.

"He loves a sauna room," Fifita said with a laugh. "And I could tell he needed some time to himself. He was about to play his first Origin and he was feeling it. I don't like to think about the game ??? I wanted to be with family, and Matthew is like that to me. If my wife was able to travel [she's pregnant and due in July], I would have stayed with her."

Instead he snuggled up with Lodge.

"Yeah, we shared a bed," Fifita said with a laugh. "I've told his wife, Jess, that she needs to get out of town for the next Origin because I'm coming over again."

Fifita has proven himself to be the game's best big-game forward. He was the clear man of the match in the grand final, even though he wasn't rewarded with the Clive Churchill Medal. Fifita was outstanding in the build-up to Origin one. He brought in to everything that the team was about. It was never about him, it was about the team and he was genuinely humble after the game. He has watched the game and, amazingly, thinks he can do better.

"I don't think that was my best game," he said. "It's already in the past and I have to think about my next game."

His time out of representative football has clearly given him a new level of respect for what he is experiencing now.

If he continues on his current path, his next contract will make him the best-paid forward in the game, including Jason Taumalolo and Sam Burgess. Fifita deserves a big pay day. His ride has been tougher than most. At his core he is all about family, and he has a good heart.

Fifita isn't the only Blue who is going to become a dad again. Peats' wife, Jade, is due around the time of the second game.

Titanic struggle looms on coast

Jarryd Hayne's decision to stay put at the Titans highlights who the real "king" is at the club - and it's not coach Neil Henry, whose nickname, ironically, is "King".

Hayne is not Henry's kind of player. Henry likes to treat every player the same but, like it or not, Henry has to treat a talent such as Hayne with more respect.

Hayne has decided to stay at the club despite previous differences with the coach. You have to wonder if the club will now stick by Henry - despite Hayne going out of his way to make sure they have a good relationship.

There is a push against Henry coming from a core group of Titans players. I first twigged to an issue at the club a couple of weeks back.

I tweeted that Hayne was going to make an announcement that he was staying at the Titans. It was supposed to happen after the Manly game, but the loss that night scuttled those plans.

Hayne even spoke to Titans boss Graham Annesley on the night and gave no indication that he was staying put. A few phone calls later and it was clear something happened in the change rooms. And that something was a spray from Henry that would have left Souths coach Michael Maguire in the shade.

It certainly wasn't the right mood for Hayne to stand up and say, "Hey guys, I'm staying put."

But Henry's reaction has certainly prompted players to start turning their attention to whether they want him to be coach. It is unlikely that outburst was the only issue, but it was significant enough for players to start talking.

It's early days, but there are some at the club who are asking questions about Henry. And Hayne isn't one of the growing group of players who are disillusioned.

There is even thought being given to which coaches are available.

Henry is still respected by officials at the club, but it has the potential to get ugly.

Henry has a contract for next year and the year after, triggered by making the finals last season.

In the time between Hayne initially wanting to make his commitment known to the Titans and it happening there has been a focus on what position he will be playing. Hayne wants to be fullback, and while he would never demand a position, he knows where he plays best.

Key player: Aaron Woods. Photo: Getty Images

Ire of the Tiger

Aaron Woods was by no means the star of the Blues' win on Wednesday night. But in the eyes of his fellow middle forwards, he is something special. He is a protector: for Jake Trbojevic from the early pressures of life in the spotlight; for David Klemmer, from himself at times.

Woods knows how to get the best out of Klemmer, so that his strength, passion and energy are directed in the right way.

We've seen a lot of Woods this year - some say too much - but he is a well-paid media personality as well as a footy player.

As much as Mitchell Moses has been criticised for a mid-season switch to the Eels, Woods has been lampooned and booed. It was the photograph of Woods having coffee with future Bulldogs teammates in the week the teams were due to play each other that tarnished Woods.

"Yeah, that wasn't fair," Klemmer said. "He didn't deserve that. He was being a mate to me."

Klemmer's third son, David, was in intensive care for three days.

"He had a lung issue," said Klemmer, casting a glance at his other two boys ripping around the Blues change rooms after Origin one on Wednesday night. "And Woodsy wanted to make sure I was OK."

Klemmer knows that other families have to endure far worse, but when it's your kid ... "You just worry," Klemmer said.

Little David is OK now. And he won't be little for long. He will be able to look after himself one day.

Woods can look after himself, too. What he can't wear are the attacks on social media on his wife, Sarah. She is a tough girl - a good sportswoman in her own right - but she has been floored by the level of trolling she has endured. And that has affected Woods deeply.

The worst day was when he was booed at Leichhardt. Those close to Woods have told me one of his relatives, who has had some serious health issues, was so overwhelmed by the venom from fans that they left the game soon after it started.

Throughout his prolonged contract saga Woods has turned up and not complained, despite having his loyalty questioned by the club from the top down. No wonder he looked so happy in Origin camp for the week.

Wing commander

Brett Morris earned huge praise from his teammates for his commitment to the cause during Origin week. The level of respect for Morris from the younger crew in the team is immense. In many ways he is a remnant of the team that struggled through a decade. But the way he carried himself in Origin camp, and his gutsy performance on the night, justified why Laurie Daley picked him. Outside James Tedesco and Andrew Fifita, Morris was the one getting praise from his fellow players.

Ice cold

Blues management had initial concerns that Schapelle Corby was staying in their team hotel, but were quickly told they had nothing to fear. She was never there.

A big star was there, however, rapper and actor Ice-T. He was sitting in the foyer among the players, but I didn't see any interaction between him and the team.

Rubbing it in

It was a bad 24 hours for Kevin Walters. Not only did he have to deal with getting rolled by the Blues at home, but he had to share a plane with them on the way back to Sydney. Walters was on the 12.05 to Sydney and he was sitting there minding his own business when the entire Blues team lobbed on the plane.

Mixed week: Mitchell Pearce. Photo: Getty Images

Not half bad

Mitchell Pearce controlled the tempo of the Blues' performance in his most mature Origin display, before he was knocked out of the game in a crude tackle by Will Chambers.

Pearce owned the team, as Laurie Daley wanted him to. The tactic of kicking high to Corey Oates came in for plenty of criticism, but Pearce was only following instructions. Clearly the Blues think Oates has an error in him, and kicking to him was designed to tire out the Brisbane winger.

Danny Weidler is a Channel Nine news reporter.