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St George Illawarra Dragons lock Trent Merrin is determined to help the NSW Blues defeat the Queensland Marrons in the second State of Origin fixture at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

The NSW Blues were downed 11-10 on home turf in the opening fixture of the series with the Shellharbour Sharks junior admitting he and his teammates will be analysing video from that encounter to learn from the mistakes made.

The Australia international, alongside fullback Josh Dugan, are part of a 17-man squad named by Laurie Daley which also includes returning captain Paul Gallen.

Additionally, Dragons second-rower Tyson Frizell has been invited to train in the Blues camp to be held once again in Coffs Harbour having done so also in the opening fixture.

“It’s always an awesome feeling being named in the NSW State of Origin team because as a kid I idolised it,” said Merrin.

“To play at the MCG in front of a packed ground is going to be a dream come true for me as I never expected to be playing there  as a professional athlete.

“I know though that it is not over yet as once you put the jersey on you need to produce the goods.

“Training in and around Coffs Harbour is good as it allows us to get away from the hype of Sydney and clear our heads.

“It creates that bond of training together and focusing together on what we need to do as a team next Wednesday.

“Regardless of the previous result it will be business as usual but we will go over the video from game one and touch on some things that we need to work on.

“Gallen brings with him leadership and experience and we all admire him for his efforts on the field and it’ll be great for him to lead out the boys.

“It’s also great for Friz being here as its all about learning for him.

“He is a great trainer as well as player but to be around some experienced players and see how they prepare for games and how they get their mind right is going to benefit him a lot.”

Acknowledgement of Country

St George Illawarra Dragons respect and honour the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples, where our games are played, our programs are conducted and in the communities we support.

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