It had all been quiet at the Fairmont Resort in the Blue Mountains up until this point.
Laurie Daley had assembled every player for Game II - bar the injured Mitch Barnett - that had got the job done for New South Wales in the State of Origin opener.
The venture over to Perth offers the opportunity to retain the shield at the first time of asking and pile more misery onto an uncharacteristically fractured Queensland.
Billy Slater has been drowned out by questions about his selections for the Maroons in Game I, and then this noise has only amplified after he took the drastic measure of axing his captain, Daly Cherry-Evans.
MORE: State of Origin confirmed team lists - NSW and QLD lineups for Game 2
Why Jarome Luai was brought into NSW Blues starting side ahead of Matt Burton after Mitch Moses' injury
The dumping of DCE was one of several headline-grabbing moves, with other major ones including Jeremiah Nanai and Patrick Carrigan being dropped to the bench despite being some of QLD’s best in Brisbane.
The commotion has been watched from afar by the Blues, perhaps even enjoyed.
Angus Crichton cheekily chipped in with a query around 'mind games' from Slater in regards to his team selections and then he scurried back to safety.
However, some blowback, although not inflicted by the Maroons in retaliation, reached NSW via Mitch Moses’ untimely calf injury in training.
Yet no sooner had the terrible news been confirmed, than his replacement had already been chosen.
Jarome Luai will be briefly parachuted into camp before he is whisked off along with the rest of his teammates to Western Australia.
The Wests Tigers playmaker was the Blues’ incumbent five-eighth heading into the series. But he was overlooked for Moses, who was instead paired alongside the fit-again Nathan Cleary.
Luai’s return to the representative arena will see him revisit his recent glory days.
The Penrith combination that yielded four premierships in a row will be kicked back into gear, while his part in a lethal left edge for the Blues' 2024 series-winning vintage will also be dusted off.
"They should [have faith in him]," Daley smiled when asked if Luai’s Origin teammates would be excited to welcome him back into the fold.
"I don’t know Jarome that well, but I think he’d believe in himself that he could come in and do the job on short notice.
"It’s not like we’re bringing in someone who hasn’t been here before."
The unlucky man lost in all of this is Matt Burton. The perennial 18th man for the Blues.
The Canterbury No.6 could easily have been promoted into the halves. Instead, he will remain on the fringes of the side. A victim of his own usefulness.
"I had a chat with Matt and he’s disappointed," Daley revealed.
"And you’d want him to be disappointed. But he gives us a bit more versatility in that 18th-man role. He can play a few more positions.
"Also I just think the Jarome and Nathan combination, they’ve had so much success. Back playing with each other, I think there will be an energy and a synergy there.
"I’d be disappointed if we lost a guy (Moses) six days out and we couldn’t cope with that," Daley added. "It won’t be a distraction for us. It won’t be a drama."
With that decision, the tranquil bubble that’s been built up around NSW so far in this series has been popped. Both states will now enter into the clash at Optus Stadium with new halves pairings set to lead narrative lines.
Luai’s high-energy, brash stylings are officially back on the big stage and ready to torment everyone within earshot again.
"I’m assuming we’ll hear him before we see him," Daley quipped.