Quick to remind he wasn't always a prop, Lindsay Collins has revealed the Queensland mindset that enabled him to manufacture the Maroons' latest State of Origin moment.
And in a warning to the re-jigged NSW Blues, he is adamant they can find improvements to seal the series in Brisbane next Wednesday.
Collins' leap above Sydney Roosters teammate and superstar fullback James Tedesco, and impressive offload to try-scorer Cameron Munster, sealed a famous win in Adelaide's series opener.
Teammates veered away from Munster to instead mob Collins after a try he said summed up the way the Maroons like to play under second-year coach Billy Slater.
"We're just a bunch of mates getting together and playing a bit of footy," he told AAP.
"I've watched the replay of the try only once or twice ... seeing all the boys coming in - I got more out of that than the actual catch.
"Origin's hard, but it's simple. Your job narrows, your focus narrows.
"You do play that system style, but when you get an opportunity to show your own style, you've got to take it and show you're not just a front rower that takes it up."
Collins was the butt of Harry Grant's jokes in camp this week, the hooker laughing to AAP that he'll be the first in line at the plastic surgeon and dentist once he retires to tend to his war wounds.
But the well-spoken Collins wasn't always taking hit-ups, his 196cm, 106kg frame only filling out in his later high school years.
"Not every front-rower starts there, we slowly work our way in," he smirked.
"I started in the centres, halves, then went to lock and second row and was pretty short until I shot up in grade 10.
"But it was always rugby league ... I played a bit of volleyball and basketball at school but that was just for fun."
Those schoolyard sessions came in handy at Adelaide Oval but Collins said it was the constant reminders of Nate Myles and some old advice from Jake Friend that made it happen in the 76th minute.
"Jake told me years ago, you've got to prepare every game like you're playing 90 minutes because who knows what the game's going to turn into," he said.
"And with Nate (who is on Slater's staff) it's the little, hard stuff.
"He constantly reminds us that it is going to be hard and every drill we do he makes that little bit harder so nobody is cruising."
Collins talked up the Maroons' new front-row face and is not fussed on the Blues' bulk changes.
"There was a lot we could have improved on ourselves and honestly that's all we've focused on," he said.
"Moe's (Fotuaika) got good speed around the ruck, has been here before .... bringing someone like that in shows the depth we have here."
