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The winning team in Origin I often goes on to win the series and, as they play their first Game I at home since 2016, NSW aim to use it to their advantage.
Home ground advantage in the State of Origin series opener looms as a big leg-up to NSW's hopes of a fourth series win in five years under Brad Fittler.
Accor Stadium is expected to boast Sydney's biggest post-pandemic crowd on Wednesday night and history shows hosting the first game can go a long way to ensuring the result of the series.
The team who won Game I have gone on to win 28 of 40 series. Only one side this century (Queensland 2017) have lost the first game with home ground advantage and gone on to claim the series.
The fact the Blues are hosting Game I for the first time since 2016 and are strong favourites makes Wednesday's game critical to claiming back-to-back series wins.
"To have a home game (to start the series) and to get a win is massive," Blues captain James Tedesco said on Tuesday.
"If we don't get a win we know we are going to be under the pump.
"That's what our focus is and we've got the home support behind us.
"I don't think we've had the first game for a while now and we haven't played a home game here in front of a packed ground."
A win at Homebush would allow Fittler's men to go to Perth for Game II knowing all the pressure is on Queensland to keep the series alive going into Game 3 in Brisbane.
For some of Fittler's side there will be a novelty to playing at Homebush.
Jarome Luai made his Blues debut in the 2021 series played entirely in Queensland and was relishing the prospect of playing in front of a sold-out crowd.
"All my big games have been in Queensland so I get to experience a home crowd feeling in such a big match for the first time." he said.
"We haven't spoken about the feeling of the crowd. I think the last time the Blues played here it was 50 per cent capacity.
"The boys said they still couldn't hear each other speak so we will need to be pretty vocal once we are in the flow of the game."
