At just 21, veterans don't come much younger than Blues hooker Keeley Davis.
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The Wollongong gun debuted at NRLW and Test level as a teenager and remains yet to miss a game in the Dragons short women's history.
Her Origin debut was belated in comparison, untimely injuries and a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis delaying her debut for NSW until last year.
Just 12 months on, Davis is the 'old head' despite being the youngest member of a Blues spine featuring two debutants in Dragons teammates Rachael Pearson and Emma Tonegato.
Five-eighth Kirra Dibb last played for NSW in 2019, combining with Davis for two caps in the Blues play-making ranks.
Maroons skipper Ali Brigginshaw has double that tally on her own, while veteran rake Brittany Breayley-Nati boasts three appearances.
Five-eighth Tarryn Aiken and fullback Tamika Upton have also been there for consecutive Queensland wins the last two years.
It would appear to give the defending champions an advantage on paper, but Blues coach Kylie Hilder confident her new-look quartet will click come kickoff.
"They've all combined really well and really fast," Hilder said.
"They're all professional athletes these girls now so it doesn't take long for it to all come together. It's right across the park, we've got a great forward pack, great outside backs.
"If everyone does their job, and that's what we've been emphasising this week, you do the job and it will all come together."
The Blues can lean heavily on club combinations, with Davis, Pearson and Tonegato all combining in the Dragons push to the NRLW decider in April.
That charge also included Quincy Dodd, who'll reprise her dummy-half tandem with Davis in Canberra on Friday night.
The two-hooker approach mirrors that of both men's Origin sides, with Davis confident club chemistry will translate to the rep arena.
"Especially having that connection in the spine - the more you can keep those players together in a team the better you'll play," Davis told nswrl.com.au this week.
"I love playing with Em (Tonegato) and alongside 'Rat' (Pearson) as well. We've played a lot more footy together this year at the NRLW standard through the Dragons with more rounds and the postponed season.
"I feel really confident in where they are going to be and what kind of job they will do. I also know where they like to receive the ball.
"We have great communication already and having Kirra is a great addition to all of that."
While the spine battle is arguably the most intriguing, both camps remain well aware of the fact that Origin games are won up front.
The Maroons fired an early warning shot on that front on Thursday, with Brigginshaw and coach Tahnee Norris expecting a star-studded Blues pack to lean heavily on wrestling.
"Especially in the first half [last year], there was a lot of frustration around the stuff that was going on the ground," Norris said.
"We've just got to be smarter about it... we can't do anything about the refereeing or can't do anything about what they're doing on top of us.
"We've just got to work ourselves out and get ourselves out of the tackle as fast as we can."
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