The reason behind a horror State of Origin game two loss has quickly been identified by Queensland.
But it was still hard for Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans to admit ahead of Wednesday's series decider in Sydney.
A brutally honest Cherry-Evans conceded a Queensland side that had prided itself on its fighting spirit simply had not aimed up in NSW's 38-6 Origin II rout in Perth.
"It's pretty obvious, our intensity - from start of the game to the end of the game, it just wasn't there," the frustrated Queensland halfback said.
He is adamant however that the Maroons will quickly reclaim their mojo.
"We have identified that and also there were some technical things we wanted to fix up which we have also done," he said.
"With the combination of identifying what went wrong, training with a bit more purpose this week and having the motivation of game two, hopefully it puts us in the best position to win."
That would be music to the ears of former Queensland skipper Cameron Smith who questioned the Maroons' fighting spirit following their second biggest loss to NSW in game two.
"The thing that was missing in game two was their attitude on a few different levels when you break the game down," Smith told Fox Sports' NRL 360.
"You look at moments in the game when we failed to put kick pressure on (NSW playmaker) James Maloney, who just controlled that entire match.
"They missed opportunities in defence and in Origin you just cannot give an inch to the opposition because if you do they will take it and in the end you get punished for it."
Cherry-Evans was confident their new-found spirit would be typified by their maligned forward pack which was steamrolled in game two.
Forwards Dylan Napa and Jarrod Wallace were cut by coach Kevin Walters after just one member of their pack - back-rower Felise Kaufusi - ran 100m in game two.
"I have got confidence in our forward pack and the way they have prepared this week," Cherry-Evans said.
"It is a big occasion, but I know our forward pack won't be overawed.
"We learned a big lesson in game two and now is the time to show how we learned that lesson and what we can do to respond to that."
Australian Associated Press
