Queensland captain Darren Lockyer says he has been working hard on his tackling in the lead-up to Origin II in order to shrug the unwanted tag of being a chink in the Maroons' defensive armour.

The Maroons captain's defence has been questioned recently after missing 54 tackles in 12 NRL games this season with Brisbane.

Of greater concern is that 26 of them have come in his last four games for the Broncos.

But the 32-year-old says he has addressed what he admits is a weakness that has crept into his game by working closely with Queensland assistant coach Trevor Gillmeister, who has been credited with the Gold Coast Titans' defensive strength this year.

"It's been a big mental focus for me this week," Lockyer said on Monday.

"I've come into camp and I just wanted to get a good preparation behind me and make sure I'm concentrating on that aspect of the game in defence.

"I know I've played plenty of Origins and I know what's required from me and I just want to take the field and not let the team down.

"Communication with the guys around you, timing and technique, obviously they're the three things you've got to focus on.

"I've done a fair bit of stuff, well the whole right side has done a little bit of stuff this week, and it gives all of us a bit of confidence going into the game."

Lockyer, although pleased with the Maroons' preparations ahead of what could be a record-fourth straight Origin series win, wasn't about to rate his star-studded side as the best in history.

"I believe there's obviously a chance to make history, but we haven't made that yet, so I'd rather reflect on this team beyond this series," Lockyer said.

"We've got a lot of talent here, but again, we've got to make sure that we perform well in not only game two but game three."

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