Down 1-0 after Queensland produced an against-odds win in Sydney the Blues are facing a tough battle to retain the series, beginning with this weekend's game at Optus Stadium.

Luai may be the man to provide them inspiration that all hope is not lost.

The Penrith five-eighth has the ability to flip a game on its head but also has an unhealthy obsession with 1990s Japanese anime series Dragonball Z, something he says has guided him through the highs and lows of Origin.

"I draw a lot of off-field inspiration from it and I watch anime more than Netflix," he told AAP.

"Vegeta is probably my favourite character; he's an antagonist with a fiery side but he's a caring figure. He's a good fighter and I try to use that.

"There are a lot of fights where they are down and out and they've got to dig deep and find something extra which they didn't know they had at the time.

"There's a bit of a message there: when your tank is empty, keep going. There's definitely something I take out of that."

Luai is joined on the NSW left edge by two new faces, but two he knows well from his time at Penrith.

Liam Martin will be his second-rower while Matt Burton, now of Canterbury, will make his Origin debut at centre.

In training this week, Burton has often assumed the five-eighth position and sent his towering torpedo kicks into the sky at the end of NSW's attacking sets.

The last game the trio all played together was last year's grand final and Luai was hopeful they could bring the same success to Origin II.

"We probably just missed the mark in terms of intensity but our effort was there," he said.

"We just lacked that bit of hunger in our actions and stuff.

"The difference in ruck speed was astounding and their play-the-balls were so quick compared to ours and we want to change that this time around."

Australian Associated Press