FROM THE COACH'S DESK - MAL MENINGA

AFTER such a highly-emotional State of Origin series, I must say that – having won our sixth series in a row – my over-riding emotion right now is relief.
When you first win a series, I think it is all about celebration. But every year that you have to defend the title, your first emotion is relief.
The fun and excitement does come, but not until later. For the first few weeks, I think it is all about being thankful we were good enough to get the job done again.
This year’s series was the greatest challenge Queensland has faced as a team in my six years in charge.
The Blues obviously put a lot of thought into what was needed to succeed at Origin level, and took more than a few leaves out of Queensland’s book as far as their preparation went.
It clearly showed. New South Wales got a lot of things right this year, and that is why it was such a tough test for us.
Under Ricky Stuart, the Blues players and fans bought in to the Origin passion and fever that Queenslanders are born with.
They were a brand new team.
That is just one of the reasons this series win was so special. We knew that NSW put absolutely everything into Origin this year. They gave it their very best shot. Yet, at the end of the day, the Queensland team managed to lift to another level to keep its nose in front.
I would still argue that our first series win in 2006 remains the best, simply because it was so important that we turned things around.
We simply had to find a way to start winning again, and we did that. We had to work hard, hang in there, have faith and desire.
The task of coaching the Queensland team is made easier now because of the successful culture that was created in 2006.
Coming into camp now, the players immediately buy in to what we do, because they know the systems we have in place work.
We never talk about winning. It is always about preparing really well and playing to your best. That is what Queensland expects of you.
Win or lose, if you apply yourself to the best of your potential, then Queenslanders are happy with that because they understand the game.
They understand the concept of Origin. It is a tribalism that comes naturally to Queenslanders.
It is part of what makes playing Origin for Queensland so special. This team means so much to Queenslanders. But every player in this team knows that, is aware of their responsibility, and is very proud of it.
We have been fortunate enough to keep our wonderful core group of players together for a long time, and the expectations that come with playing for Queensland are second nature to them.
We understood the enormity of it all, and the players were strong enough to weather that storm.
NSW set the platform right at the beginning. This was not like any other year. There was a surge in the support of their team, both in the media and in the public’s response to the team.
I am most pleased by the fact that we controlled our emotions through the whole series.
There were hiccups along the way. We didn’t prepare as well as we could have for Game II, and we recognised that as one of the reasons that we didn’t play to our potential.
That doesn’t mean we would have been successful in Game II if we had, because NSW were extremely good in that match.
But for us, the results are less important than playing to our potential, and in Sydney we just didn’t do that.
That meant we had to lift to another level in Game III, and you can see that we did that, which I knew we were capable of doing.
To see the team handle all of the emotion swirling around them in Game III and produce such a professional and clinical performance was a wonderful tribute to them, and a parting gift worthy of their tremendous leader Darren Lockyer.
What can I say about Locky that has not already been said?
A truly wonderful player, and tremendous person, we have been so fortunate to have Darren as our captain for his abilities, his leadership and his inspirational approach to the game.
We never talk about dynasties in this Queensland team, but we do talk a lot about legacies – about leaving the game in a better position because of the way the team plays and handles itself.
To my mind, this current team and its champion qualities will be among Darren’s great legacies to the game, because I believe the team is a reflection of Darren himself.
Tough, hardworking, dedicated, professional, committed, brilliant, humble and gracious – these words perfectly sum up Darren and the team he has helped to create.
The game will lose a remarkable player at the end of the year, but I am certain the remarkable man will not be lost for long – Darren will be back to continue contributing to the strength of rugby league.
To see him lift the shield above his head with 50,000 people glued to their seats at Suncorp Stadium was one of the proudest moments of my life.