So where does Victoria, the isolated base for game one, fit into the picture Wednesday night?

Going off today’s pre-game media conference by Victorian Sport and Recreation Minister, Hugh Delahunty, it was hard not to write off the entire event as a giant cash cow.

The naturally AFL-inclined pollie made three faux pas’ within the space of 30 seconds during his presentation, referring to league’s big three-game series as "State of the Origin", naming the Blues captain as "Paul Callen" and then lauding the fact the game "between Queensland and New Zealand" was returning to Melbourne.

Sacrificing a game in Sydney or Brisbane to promote the code in Melbourne has been vigorously argued over for some time now.

On one hand, some 15,000 fans are expected to travel from QLD and NSW to watch the game on Wednesday night, generating Victoria millions in tourism and revenue.

But on the other side of the coin, the decision to return to Melbourne for the first time since 2009 is being talked up as generating new life in league.

Even the most defiant opponents are starting to share the view that perhaps the Victorian fixture isn’t such a bad thing for the sport.

"Like every event in Melbourne, they do it outstandingly well," said NSW coach Ricky Stuart, who landed himself in hot water last month for slamming the move to Melbourne for game one.

"The hospitality that we’ve received has just been first class. It’s been a really comfortable week."

The players involved in the game seem to have adopted a more mellowed view than Stuart’s original observations.

But all agree on one thing: that the Melbourne game doesn’t give one team or the other any advantage.

"I don’t think it will be a QLD crowd, I think it will be pretty neutral," NSW captain Paul Gallen expected.

"I don’t think it will feel like a game up in QLD, but it probably won’t feel like one at ANZ. We’re just concentrating on what we can do on the field."

With the line markings from yesterday’s Carlton-Adelaide clash at Etihad Stadium serving as a strong reminder yesterday, league’s convergence on Victoria still has hurdles ahead.

The supposed fanfare of Origin week - visibly alive in nearly every QLD and NSW town at the moment - is barely a blip on the radar for most Melburnians.

But with the guarantee of 53,000 people merging under Etihad’s giant roof on Wednesday night, the game’s linchpins are hoping their sacrifice will ultimately contribute to the game’s prosperity.

Whatever the case, it’s all systems go for game one - with or without Mr Callen.