If you want a measure on Brian To’o’s place in New South Wales Origin history just look at how he went in Game I.
It was far from a vintage To’o performance. In fact, with three errors in the first half, it was decidedly against type for one of the best wingers the Blues have ever known.
There was no vitriol from the Blues fans who can be so quick to turn on their own and so slow to forgive any failing. It was just disbelief.
These things might happen to other players but not to To’o, never to To’o, and two weeks later, even though New South Wales got up and that’s what matters most, To’o still shakes his head when he thinks about it.
Brian To’o had a more mixed night in Orgin I than usual. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
“There were some early errors that really affected the boys in that first half,” To’o said.
“You need to have the same mindset daily, putting the team first and your family first, to get through those hard times.
“You have to be willing to do anything for your family and these boys are my family as well.
“I needed to reconnect with myself to be strong in the second half and that’s what I did.”
To’o managed to shake off his rough start to resume normal service and he finished with 185 metres and 10 tackle busts, the most of any player on either team, from his 21 runs.
For plenty of other wingers that would qualify as a banner night, even accounting for the errors.
For To’o, the best in the world at what he does and a two-time winner of the Brad Fittler Medal as Blues player of the series, such is his greatness and consistency that it averaged out to about par.
He has reached the rarefied air where he’s good enough even on a bad day, and those bad days are few and far between.
Midway through his sixth Origin series, To’o is one of the few active New South Wales players who would demand inclusion in an all-time Blues team and ahead of Game II at the MCG he has a chance to break one of the longest-standing records in Origin history.
To’o currently has 11 tries in sky blue, putting him level with Michael O’Connor, Jarryd Hayne and Josh Addo-Carr for the most by any New South Wales Origin player.
Brian To’o has carved a brilliant Origin legacy since his debut in 2021. (AAP: Darren England)
Since O’Connor’s last match in 1991 that mark has stood the test of time through 35 years, proving to be astonishingly resilient even as footballing careers grow longer.
The appearance record for both states, as well the Queensland try-scoring and point-scoring marks have all fallen since but O’Connor’s total is yet to be beaten despite the challenges of Hayne and Addo-Carr.
Along with O’Connor’s Blues pointscoring mark of 129 (which Nathan Cleary has in his sights with 106) it’s the last major career Origin record left standing from the 1990s.
At 27 and with his track record, last year he accomplished the rare feat of scoring in all three matches of a series, To’o seems certain to take it down and could do so as soon as Wednesday night.
Jarryd Hayne, Michael O’Connor and Josh Addo-Carr all share top spot with Brian To’o. (Getty Images: Renee McKay)
“It would be crazy, to look back at some of the past players of the game and see my family name up there with them would be pretty cool,” To’o said.
“Whether I score doesn’t really matter though, it’s always about the team, that has to come first.
“Being able to put on this jersey means so much to myself and my family. Being able to honour the jersey and the state is important but having my last name within the Blues family, it’s so cool.
“God willing, we’ll see what happens.”
Even if he surpasses O’Connor, Hayne and Addo-Carr in Origin II, To’o’s work will be far from done. Twelve tries would put him equal fourth on the all-time Origin list and there’s still a fair distance to Queensland record-holder Greg Inglis on 18.
But To’o’s appetite for that work is as remarkable as the pre-game feed that fuels it. Scoring tries is just one part of his game and as he trucks the ball out of his own end again and again, bouncing off defenders that seem twice his size, it’s a constant reminder that his guts aren’t the only part of him that’s made of iron.
Sometimes it defies belief but according to To’o it’s his own belief that makes him strong and has taken him to the cusp of putting his name high in Blues history.
“You have a responsibility to honour this jersey and protect it. I take a lot of pride in that and playing my best for my family and my state,” To’o said.
“I’m a big believer in my lord and saviour Jesus Christ. He gives me the strength. He anoints me to do great things on the field.
“In those crucial moments that’s the one thing I fall back on, He gives me the strength every day.”
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