hey are the TRU Blues.
The three letters that inspired the Blues to State of Origin glory last year will again act as motivation as NSW begin their series defence at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night.
What it stands for remains top secret amongst those in the inner sanctum of the Blues.
TRU Blue: The letters TRU were written on Robbie Farah's wrist during last year's Origin series.
TRU Blue: The letters TRU were written on Robbie Farah's wrist during last year's Origin series. Photo: Getty Images
But the three words the team came up with to drive their campaign last January remains a focal part of their preparations heading into the opening battle of the series at ANZ Stadium.
TRU are the three trademarks the NSWRL want to keep top secret.
At a team meeting last January, headed by Blues leadership coach Garie Dooley, five months out from the first game of the series, the Blues came up with three qualities and characteristics that would define their campaign.
Fairfax Media understands Josh Morris was the player who thought to combine the three words into the TRU acronym, which was visibly seen etched onto the wrist strapping of Robbie Farah during the opening game of the series at Suncorp Stadium last year.
While Farah wouldn't reveal the words that make up the TRU acronym, he insists the three trademarks are a key component of the Blues' preparations.
"It's something as a group we came up with and wanted to live by day in, day out, whether you're here or back at your clubs," Farah said. "That's what it takes and that's what is expected of you when you come in here. Everyone knows that if you don't live up to those standards, you're not going to be here for too long."
The words were put up on the dressing room walls before games, on players' wrists and even used on the field by the players to inspire their teammates.
As NSW prepare to walk out onto the Origin arena as defending champions for the first time in nine years, Farah has opened up about that meeting where the players decided on the qualities they would need to develop to conquer the Maroons.
"The whole playing group had a meeting, it's something we all spoke about and had to buy into," he said.
"There's no point jotting down some words on a piece of paper if you don't believe in them. It's something we all believe in, something we all strive for and continue to strive for. Just because we won a series last year, we're not there yet. We want NSW to have prolonged success for many, many years to come - long after I'm gone. Long after the senior players are gone. It's something we want to hand down to the young boys coming through and they can take forward to the next generation.
"[We use it] on the field, training … we know what to expect from every training session. There might be something in particular we focus on one day. It's hard to focus on all of those words in one session. But in all our sessions there is a key component we want to achieve. The players who have been around here have been living it and know it. The players that come in here, they quickly find out about what is expected of them."
Farah admits he has changed his ways since the drama surrounding Mick Potter and Gorden Tallis last year, when the Queensland great claimed the hooker told him the West Tigers mentor "can't coach".
While he was reluctant to go into detail about the ordeal that turned his life upside down, he admits he fell out of love with the game as a result and contemplated quitting at his darkest hour.
"In your darkest times it crosses your mind, but then you calm down and realise it's stupid," Farah said.
"I probably don't love the game like I used to, not in terms of playing it because I still love going to training every day and doing what I do. But I was a footy nut. For years, growing up, footy was my life. I'd watch eight games of footy on the weekend, I'd watch all the footy shows, NRL on Fox and all those shows. I'd wake up and read the papers with my coffee and breakfast.
"Now, I don't watch anything. I play my game and don't watch too much footy. I don't watch any of those shows during the week or read the papers much. In that sense, I don't love that side of the game any more. Now I get away from footy when I'm not with the Tigers."
Farah admits he struggled to deal with the criticism that came his way during the Potter fiasco last year.
"I'm a passionate bloke. I care a lot - I probably care too much a lot of the time," he said.
"I wish I was a laid back, carefree sort of guy but that's not in my make up. I take things to heart, I wear my heart on my sleeve. It did affect me. I did struggle for a bit but my friends and family helped me through it. If I had done something wrong I would have sat back and said 'I deserve this', but I knew I had done nothing wrong.
"The whole time people were just making up stuff about what I was doing and what I did and I just sat back and copped it. It just felt like betrayal because I get along with a lot of journos that I've met throughout my career and you form a relationship with people. We see you guys every week and get comfortable around you. You think you trust someone or they will do right by you, but that went out the window. There are things that I will never forget and a lot of guys I won't talk to because of it."
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/state-of-origin/state-of-origin-tru-blues--the-three-secret-words-inspiring-nsw-20150526-gh9qnz.html
