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Clint Gutherson insists his crucial miss on Kurt Capewell in the State of Origin series opener wasn't indicative of his form on his switch to centre for NSW.
NSW centre Clint Gutherson is pleading for a chance to make amends for the missed tackle which marred his State of Origin debut.
Gutherson was pummelled by Queensland's Kurt Capewell who set up a game-changing AJ Brimson try in the Maroons' 18-14 win at Adelaide Oval.
The result has left Blues coach Brad Fittler with several selection queries before next week's must-win clash in Sydney, with squads to be announced Friday.
"A missed tackle that I have got to make," Gutherson said.
"I had it under control and (he) slipped into it and made me pay for it.
"Look, hopefully I'm there again next week to bounce back.
"I felt good out there the whole game.
"It's just that one tackle which is going to hurt me but I have just got to make amends there and just work on it."
NSW's decision to play two centres out of position has been met with some blowback since the loss, with Wighton also making a bad miss on Dane Gagai before a try.
Gutherson has started just 11 of his 114 NRL games in the centres, with 2018 his last time playing there instead of fullback.
He did however argue during his time in camp that he had played there growing up.
Wighton meanwhile has played five-eighth for Canberra in the past two seasons, but has a longer history as a centre.
Fittler could opt to bring in St George Illawarra young gun Zac Lomax for Game II, but Gutherson insists he can make it work on the edge.
" I felt pretty comfortable other than that (missed tackle)," Gutherson said.
"I blew out early just because of all the excitement and probably nerves there but I felt good out there the whole game.
"It's just that one tackle."
It comes as NSW hooker Damien Cook demanded more pride the Blue jersey, with Wednesday's second-half capitulation leaving their hopes of a three-peat hanging by a thread.
The Blues did fall behind 1-0 in last year's series, but now need to win in Sydney next week before claiming their first victory in a decider in Brisbane in 15 years seven days later.
"Last year, we showed we can do it," Cook said.
"It is possible ... last year we did it that way and we're going to have to do it the same way this year.
"We're going to have to put pride back into this jersey and make sure we come out and play the way we want to play."