Just the mere mention of it - whether it be by a grumbling New South Wales Blues fan, or any Queensland Origin great - recalls that scene of the Maroons stalwart thundering down the SFS players tunnel prior to the second half of Game One of the 1995 series, screaming “Queenslander!”

If you think the North Sydney Bears' veteran of 211 games between 1989-89 is embarrassed to be linked with such an historic moment, played out at the height of the ARL vs Super League war which decimated the Maroons’ squad, think again. As you’re about to read, the call had been passed down through the years amongst his Maroons ancestors long before the rock-solid backrower had entered the interstate sheds. But he’s outright honoured to hold the flame.

Today, the 47-year-old is also a proud member of the Fox League team, making regular appearances on the NRL-dedicated channel’s NRL 360 program. He is also a starter on the broadcaster’s unashamedly non-inclusive Queenslanders Only panel show.

Here, the great man shares the outline of the night the world was let in on Queensland’s powerful method of maintaining pride in the jumper. If you’d like to hear more from Billy, drop in on him at his award-winning pizza restaurant, Augello’s on the beachfront at Mooloolaba in the Sunshine State. You will quickly discover he is as passionate for Queensland today as he was on that now-legendary night.

“All humour aside, I’m honoured at the fact the 'Queenslander' call has been attached to me,” Moore told Inside Sport. “It had been around for a long time inside the Queensland camp, but outsiders hadn’t seen it; obviously it was shown on TV in 1995. When we came down the tunnel, we didn’t know that camera was there. Broadcasters have always tried to get in-depth views of the game, to take the viewers to another part of the spectacle they’ve never seen. In fact, that was the first time they had used tunnel footage.

“It happened before the second half of the first game of ’95. The narrative is important. The Super League war has raged; certain players couldn’t be picked for NSW and Queensland. But for Queensland it was more devastating because we couldn’t pick Broncos, Canberra or Canterbury players. So they’re out – we have no Allan Langer, no Kevvie Walters, no Steve Walters, no Steve Renouf, etc. We picked nine Origin rookies, from memory.

“We were in the change sheds. We had one Australian rep player, Dale Shearer, who had probably come out of retirement ten times … New South Wales had 12 Australian rep players.

“So we shouldn’t have got within a bull’s roar, let alone won the series 3-0! In the change sheds, they're all nervous, especially the rookies. They could hear the crowd and everything.

(Photo by Getty Images)

“Our veteran, fearless forward Gary Larson, walked in and said, ‘Let’s give ‘em some of that ‘Queenslander’ stuff!’ The call had been passed down through the years. I learnt it from the late, great Peter Jackson; he told me what ‘Queenslander’ meant to him: it was, ‘Find something from inside yourself, no excuses, help your mate.’

“That’s what he told me and I believe it to this day. We told the young blokes that year how important it all was. So in the sheds, just before the second half, Gary came up to me and said, ‘Mate, give it some Queenslander!’ So I started screaming it in the sheds, everyone was screaming it … until we started walking down the players’ race and everyone else shut up!

“Fundamentally, the ‘Queenslander’ call and cause was all about helping your mate, no excuses. I’m so proud that it is basically attached to me. If I happen to be the public face of it, I’m honoured.

“Why it is so powerful and strong, is that, for every Queenslander, it’s their brand; especially over the last decade and a bit, with what the Queensland side has achieved. It’s just gotten bigger; today it’s the biggest brand in Queensland. You go to Suncorp Stadium on State of Origin night, the crowd screams it before the game starts, and they don’t stop. And the players hear it, they know. They can sense it.”