PAUL GALLEN hates every opponent he goes up against. But he hates Queensland more.

As he promised to unleash "anger" on Queensland this year, the Blues forward revealed his distaste and disregard for the Maroons' assertions about passion - as well as the Maroons in general.

"It gets a bit boring, hearing Queensland always talking about themselves, how they're more passionate and how they hate us and all the rest of it, because I feel the same way, times a thousand," Gallen said yesterday. "I think that's just the way to get themselves pumped up.

"[But] if you ask any one of our players, there's no way they'd say that Queensland had more passion or like Origin any more than what we do.

"They think it's all about them, and we're going to be out there next week and this series trying to make it about us and trying to win it. That's what we're here to do. We're not here to compete with them or just let them win another series. We want to win it."

With those words, Gallen was attempting to put to bed what he sees as a rugby league myth - that Queenslanders care more about their colours than New South Welshmen do. Them's might not have been fighting words, but they were certainly fiery words.

Prop Brett White, an antagonist of Gallen's previously but now a teammate, admitted to being annoyed by the constant references to Maroons passion.

"I don't see why, just because of where you're born, you've got more passion about a jumper," White said. "Every young kid that's a rugby league player wants to play State of Origin, so I don't see what the difference is. Whether you're NSW or Queensland, we're all very passionate.

"They always go on about the Queenslander, the whole thing about it, but I don't see why, just because they were born up there, it's any different to us down here.

"It's what they do. It's the way they go about it, and build up for it. We're just a bit more quiet about it. They like to tell everyone they've got passion, and they do. We're a bit more reserved, but we've definitely got the passion there."

And, it's clear, the anger. The Blues have picked a side full of aggressive players. Add to Gallen and White the likes of Ben Cross, Greg Bird and Willie Mason, and it's clear they aim to fight fire from Michael Crocker, Carl Webb, Sam Thaiday and company with similar temperatures.

Facing the "embarrassment" of a 3-0 series defeat last year, Gallen was unleashed, along with his partner in grime Bird, on the Queenslanders in Origin III and they were significant reasons the Blues held on to some respectability with their only win. Gallen claimed his in-your-face style rattled the Maroons, and he plans to do the same this year as the Blues again attempt to save face after two successive series defeats.

"We probably stuck it to them [last year]," the Sharks back-rower said. "We pretty much had free rein to do what we wanted to do because it was the end of the series, and we knew Queensland had won the series."

It will be no different next Wednesday night at ANZ Stadium.

"I play every game the same way," Gallen said. "I'm just going to go out there and do what I usually do - I play aggressive and angry on the field. That's how I play my best footy and that's just what I have to do again next week. I go into the game with the same attitude - whoever's playing against me, I don't like. That's just the way I play."

White had different memories of last year's series, and probably fewer, after being knocked out by Tonie Carroll in the opening minutes of the first game at Suncorp Stadium. He, like Gallen, said he would not approach this year any differently, setting up an explosive encounter.

"It's Origin," White said. "If you can't take the good hits, you shouldn't be playing in Origin. It's why everyone watches it. State of Origin's everything, and that's why people watch it, because they pick these sort of people, and throw them in an arena together and let them loose."