For a man seemingly crafted to play State of Origin football, it's amazing to think Blues forward Anthony Watmough is still besieged with doubt.

"I still doubt (I belong), I still look around the team every day and think `s..t, I'm here again," Watmough said from NSW's Wollongong base as he continued preparations for Wednesday night's Origin series opener.

"Just walking to the beach this morning I was looking at some of the players - I'm still in awe of the fact I'm in the team let alone the starting team.

"It's a humbling feeling just to know you're there.

"Every time you get around the boys I still get the butterflies, you still have to question yourself whether you're good enough at this level or not."

Certainly Watmough silenced many of the doubters when he finished streets ahead of the rest as NSW's best forward during last year's 2-1 series loss.

Watmough stood out with his powerful runs and punishing hits, his one-man demolition job inspiring the Blues to a morale boosting win in the series finale.

But one doubter still remains - himself, and he hopes to use it as motivation for another coming out party at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night.

"I'm not going to lie, that did pop into my head that I've still got to prove myself at this level - I just think it's a little bit of good pressure to put on yourself," Watmough said.

"I think games two and three last year were some of the better games I've played but it's just two games still - there's a lot more improvement left in me and if I want to make my mark at this level then I've got to do it consistently year in, year out.

"That game three, the work rate that I put on myself and the physicalness, I had to try and get out there and put in - I really like where I was there at stage and I've just got to get back there."

Watmough's role as the enforcer of the Blues pack takes on extra significance with NSW selectors ignoring the claims of fellow firebrands Luke O'Donnell and Paul Gallen for Origin I.

However the Manly and Test star did his best to distance himself from the tag, saying he would not up the ante in the aggression stakes for the sake of giving the side some emotional energy to feed off.

"I'm not the new Paul Gallen ... I'll just try and do whatever I can do and if it helps along the way then that's great, but I don't want to be the big emotional leader of the pack," Watmough said.

"I just try and give it my all.

"I probably push the limits a bit too far most of the time.

"That's the good thing about Origin, you get away with a bit more so you can do a bit more, little niggly stuff and mouthing off and that, but they've got some dudes that can give it back to me so its all good fun in the end."

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