NSW pivot Jamie Soward claims close enough is no longer good enough for the Blues as they look to put the exclamation point on their State of Origin resurgence in Wednesday night's series decider.

Feeding off the success he has enjoyed with St George Illawarra in recent years, Soward said the Blues couldn't be satisfied with putting up a brave showing against a Queensland side many have rated the best assembled.

Winning is all that matters for Soward, which is why he found it so hard to accept the plaudits after NSW's narrow game one defeat.

"The thing for me out of game one was that we came back to a lot of 'well done, you almost won' and that didn't sit right with me," Soward said.

"We got a lot of pats on the back for the effort we put in and it was a great effort - we defended set after set on our line - but at the end of the day we still lost."

The Blues assured the series would have a fitting finale with a far more resolute performance in game two in Sydney.

NSW coach Ricky Stuart said long before the series started that he would be happy to walk away with just one win from the series as part of his long-term plan to dethrone the Maroons, but Soward was having none of that.

It's a philosophy born out of Soward's success at the Dragons, who used the pain of their dramatic demise in the 2009 finals as a spur in their run to the 2010 title.

And with another four Dragons - Mark Gasnier, Beau Scott, Ben Creagh and Brett Morris - alongside Soward in the sky blue, it is an attitude that is fast spreading throughout the NSW squad.

"After 2009, it was a pretty big year for the Dragons and we had a huge disappointment at the end - from that moment on, the guys at the Dragons really took on the belief that getting there is not enough, it's not winning," Soward said.

"And that's the mentality that this group's got - close enough will not be good enough.

"I'm with a bunch of blokes here who can really do something special, and we all understand the importance of that, and how important it is not only for ourselves but for NSW.

"We know the job at hand and now that it's one-all, we've got to go out there and play better than we did in game two."

Blues fans will certainly be hoping Soward can continue his rapid Origin progression, with his game two performance far more assured than his debut effort in Brisbane.

NSW struggled for field position as Soward failed to get his prodigious boot to the ball for the opening quarter of the game, but he was far more proactive in the return bout.

"That was the criticism of game one, that it took me a while to get into the game," Soward said.

"Game two it was important to get in there, I had a kick in the first set and I had a touch early.

"But it's not always going to go that way, and if it doesn't on Wednesday I'll have a couple of plans in place with Sticky (Stuart) to make sure I am in the game."

The Blues enjoyed a rest day on Monday, with the squad to have their final training run at Suncorp Stadium on Tuesday.

All 19 players have been declared fit by team medical officials but Stuart had yet to give any indication as to the make-up of his final 17.

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