The Maroons big men have been slammed for their lack of impact at the MCG, with front-row duo Dylan Napa and Jarrod Wallace two of the main targets for criticism.

Napa will have his syndesmosis injury assessed on Thursday while coach Kevin Walters said he’s given Wallace a “second chance” after a sub-par effort in game one.

Wallace responded to the knockers on Tuesday saying critics ‘‘look at stats and don’t watch games.

He found an unlikely ally in Vaughan who scoffed at suggestions the Blues pack did it easy in game one.

“I don’t read into the media at all.  They’re great players and their forward pack’s a great pack,” Vaughan said.

“The whole game [one] was just an absolute arm wrestle. I know we scored a couple more points at the back end but no game’s easy in the middle.

“I’m certainly not reading into that [criticism] too much. This is a decider for them so I know they’re going to come out firing and we’ll need to be a lot better.”

Vaughan admitted it took some time to come down from the cloud of his Origin debut at the MCG.

“It was unreal, it was a dream come true for me,” The 27-year-old said.

“As a young fella it’s all I wanted to do, play for NSW and I just really soaked up the whole week.

“It was a bit surreal for me being around those calibre of players but I think I deserved to be there. That’s what was good to take away from that experience.

“I just wanted to go back to club footy and be the best version of myself playing-wise and it’s great to get the opportunity to back for game two.” 

Many thought coach Brad Fittler could elevate Vaughan to a starting role after game-one prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard suffered a broken jaw in clubland.

Fittler will instead hand a starting debut to veteran Sharks forward Matt Prior and Vaughan said he’s more than happy to reprise his bench role on Sunday.

“It was a bit different for me starting from the bench in game one from starting [for the Dragons],” Vaughan said.

“They’re completely different roles but I’m just going to do whatever the coach asks me. I’ve got a role to play in the team and I don’t want to let anyone down.

“If that’s coming off the bench it doesn’t bother me at all. I just want to do my best for my team and my state.”