Brad Fittler owes the Blues' recent success at State of Origin to the dominance of Sydney clubs at domestic level.
Fittler is on the hunt for a stunning three-peat in 2020 after guiding NSW to back-to-back State of Origin titles in 2018 and 2019.
Last weekend, Fittler gathered his potential Origin squad in Sydney in a positive coming together that he noted was spurred by the squad's recent success.
And it's the root of that success that on Tuesday afternoon Fittler attributed to the recent dominance by Sydney clubs at domestic level.
"One of the things recently that's been great for us, that has worked unbelievably is that our Sydney clubs have been doing very well," Fittler told Wide World of Sports Radio on 2GB.
"So just keeping an eye on the Sydney clubs, the Roosters have been doing great for the past couple of years. The Dragons have really provided a lot of players for us, so they've done a great job as well.
"Parramatta are obviously key to NSW. Will also be interesting to see how Penrith go. So let's hope they're all injury free by June. There's so much game, we're talking four months away until Origin is on."
One of the biggest stories of the off-season has been Blues star Latrell Mitchell's move to South Sydney and the fullback position.
Under the guidance of legendary ex-Queensland coach Wayne Bennett, Fittler was confident the 22-year-old would find his feet quickly in 2020, while noting the Maroons icon could hold the biggest influence of this year's Origin series.
"Amazingly we're going to have (one of)Queensland's best coach Wayne Bennett who is going to be mentoring Latrell this year," Fittler said.
"He's going through a position change and obviously he's going through a club change. So there's some big things happening in Latrell's life and I supposed it's quite appropriate that the most experienced coach in the business is going to be watching over him. So it might be that Wayne Bennett has the biggest influence on State of Origin this year."
The Blues will be seeking to extend their winning record in Origin matches on neutral turf in Adelaide after wins in Perth last year and Melbourne in 2018.
Game two will be played in Sydney on June 21 with game three in Brisbane on July 8.
* This article was originally published here
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