In years to come, who knows - Wayne Pearce may be more famous for being Mitchell's dad. The NSW halfback is a gun of a son rather than a son of a gun.

The second youngest of Pearce's children debuted last night as the second youngest NSW player in State of Origin history. He went out a loser, but as his Roosters coach Brad Fittler said: "He's 19. All 19-year-olds bounce back. I thought he was great."

Pearce wasn't so sure. "I'd obviously like another crack at it," he said. "I don't think I played that good where I think it will be given to me. I'll have to work hard. I'm pretty disappointed. It was what I expected. It was unbelievable … I'll learn from it."

In truth, Pearce did little wrong. He was in the thick of it early; whacked on the head by Willie Mason after the national anthem. He was the first Blue to make contact with Steve Price on the first play of the game.

His game was solid if not spectacular. Both NSW halves played back-seat roles in a game dominated by forwards, fireworks and Folau. He was left flinging out an arm as Johnathan Thurston broke through to set up the try which broke open the game, not realising prop Brett White was labouring inside him. A dart here and a kick there. Lots of perspiration but not the out-and-out inspiration.

Not surprisingly, he was heavily marked by the Maroons; his targeting by Newcastle in his last start for the Roosters had nothing on the in-your-face nature of one of the most intense interstate fixtures in recent seasons.

A former NSW coach himself, Wayne Pearce spent yesterday on a corporate cruise around Sydney Harbour but eventually made his way to the stadium with about a dozen relatives to watch the son who rose in the east - at the Roosters.

Before it all, he managed to offer his son some advice. "We had a chat but it's between Mitchell and I," Wayne said. "I didn't want to be filling his head with advice. That's the coach's job."

He described his son as "relaxed and excited" in the lead-up to the game. Not so dad, who admitted to more nerves than before any of his 15 Origin battles. "When I was playing, you have a sense of control, but when someone else is playing, it's a different situation," Pearce said.

Asked if the night produced his proudest moment as a father, Pearce said: "I've got three kids so it's difficult to say. In terms of Mitchell, it's his highest achievement, so it's probably my proudest moment for him."