Supercoach Wayne Bennett has credited the late Arthur Beetson for instilling the passion and belief that still drives Queensland's Origin success 30 years on.
Beetson, who died from a heart attack on Thursday, was the Maroons' skipper in the inaugural Origin match against NSW in 1980, defying his ageing 35-year-old body to lead Queensland to an emotional 20-10 victory.
That was the night Queensland rugby league was reborn - and they have gone on to become the most dominate state of the past 30 years.
Bennett, who spent 21 games at the Maroons' helm in three different stints, has no doubt Beetson's performance in game one set the standard that has been followed by every Queensland side since.
"His captaining of Queensland in the inaugural Origin match was the catalyst of it all," Bennett said on Friday.
"What he did that night, the way he played that night, they way he led that team - it gave them the confidence and belief that was to go on for the next 30 years and make it the great competition that it is."
"As a Queenslander he meant a fair bit to us. We were proud of him because he was one of ours."
"We probably saw him in a different light to a lot of others."
"There are some wonderful headlines today and he deserved every one of those."
"He was a really great player and did a lot of things for the game."
Asked how he would remember the prop rated as one of the game's best seven players, Bennett said: "As a good bloke, one of the immortals, one of the great players of our game."
"The game was his life."
"I don't remember Arthur doing anything else except being involved in the game, whether as a coach, a scout."
"He was always involved with the people of rugby league. They were his friends."
Bennett was speaking at the launch of the first stage of public voting for selection in the NRL All-Stars team to meet the Indigenous All-Stars.
The teams will play for the Arthur Beetson trophy from next year, with Benji Marshall to take over as NRL captain from Darren Lockyer.
"I feel very privileged to be replacing Darren Lockyer as captain, in particular knowing that Wayne Bennett made the decision," Marshall said.
The game, to be played at Skilled Park on February 4, will feature a 'power play' - a nominated five-minute period in each half where the opposition must take two players from the field.
In addition, players will have to perform a tap re-start instead of kicking for touch after a ruck penalty.
And the 40/20 rule has been expanded to include 20/40 kicks.