When Bradman Best told his dad, Roger, a Queenslander and former Manly player, he would be making his State of Origin debut for NSW, Best senior told his son to "make it a good one".
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A teenage prodigy coming through the ranks with a surname to match, Best had long been earmarked as a future Blues representative.
But after a couple of injury-disrupted seasons at the Newcastle Knights, in the eyes of most he had fallen way down the pecking order of potential NSW centres in recent years.
But that all changed when Blues coach Brad Fittler, who had coached Best in junior Origin games, banked on the 21-year-old Central Coast product to get the job done in Origin III on Wednesday.
He was a shock inclusion, and one of seven changes Fittler made after the Blues lost the series in Brisbane last month.
Best, with 61 NRL appearances to his name, repaid Fittler's faith in spades with a stunning debut in the Blues' 24-10 victory over the Maroons at Accor Stadium.
He bagged a double and enjoyed a pride-restoring victory as NSW denied Queensland of a clean sweep of the series.
"He was good, he was so good," Fittler said of Best.
"I think he's always had that.
"I think everyone has seen it for a long time."
Best's selection was the most controversial change Fittler made for Origin III.
The Knights centre's inclusion prompted plenty of media debate and drew some criticism, but Best proved the doubters wrong - and some.
The 21-year-old crossed for his maiden Origin try in the 23rd minute after being put through a gap by recalled five-eighth Cody Walker and scored again in the 64th when he raced onto a break from fullback James Tedesco.
Best had earlier been denied the opening try in the Blues' first set when the Bunker ruled he had been offside from a kick.
He also helped put winger Josh Addo-Carr away on two occasions in the first half, both of which ultimately led to tries, and was strong in defence.
Fittler, who coached NSW to their first win since Origin II last year, was overjoyed by Best's performance, but said it would be up to the Woy Woy junior to state his case for selection again next year.
"He's at a club that hasn't done well for a long time," Fittler said.
"It's now up to him to take it to that next level, and be good every week.
"To see him score some tries was just wonderful.
"A lot of fans, once they absorbed the fact that he was playing, I think they were excited."
Best had declared on his first day in NSW camp last week that he "hated" Queensland and grew up wanting to fight fellow students at school who supported the Maroons.
"It caused a bit of ruckus," Best's father, Roger, said in a post-Origin interview of his son's comments.
"But he backed it up. It's not like him to open his mouth."
Best's mother, Tobi, added: "He is usually pretty quiet. He doesn't say a lot usually, so I knew he was fired up when he was talking the talk."
Former Blues captain and commentator Paul Gallen said Best had proved the critics wrong.
"It was a bolt from the blue. He probably wasn't on anyone's mind for getting picked in the side for this game, but he went out there and had an absolute blinder," Gallen said.
"For me, his defence. That was the best thing for me."
The Blues, smashed 32-6 in Brisbane last start, had trailed 6-0 early in Wednesday's game after Queensland's David Fifita scored the opener, but Best's first and tries from wingers Addo-Carr and Brian To'o - along with two penalty goals from Stephen Crichton - helped them take an 18-10 lead into half-time.
In a hard-fought second stanza at the Sydney ground, NSW came under plenty of pressure from the visitors but their defence held solid.
Best bagged his second try and the only four-pointer of the second half when he backed up to support Tedesco, helping to extend the lead beyond two converted tries with 15 minutes left to play.
Queensland looked to have hit back a few minutes later through Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, but the centre was stripped of a second individual try by the Bunker. He had scored his side's second try in the first half.
The Blues' win, their first since Origin II last year, should at least ease some of the pressure on Fittler, who has now coached six series, losing three of the past four.
Knights prop Jacob Saifiti came off the bench for NSW and played 26 minutes, making 33 metres from three runs and 17 tackles.
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