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Not since the days of the great Queensland dynasty have NSW been at longer odds than they are to triumph in Wednesday night's do-or-die State of Origin clash in Brisbane.

But the Blues have no interest in following Queensland's lead by weaponising their underdog status, only in taking their one chance to right the wrongs from Game I.

Since the siren sounded on the series opener three weeks ago, pressure has been mounting on coach Brad Fittler and his Blues.

Influential players Latrell Mitchell, Nathan Cleary and Api Koroisau have all gone down with injuries. NSW have won only three of their last 12 games at Suncorp Stadium. Fittler's coaching job is hanging in the balance.

It's left the Blues in unfamiliar territory. They are $2.90 outsiders to level the series.

Since current Queensland coach Billy Slater - the last member of the so-called big four - shuffled off the Maroons playing squad, NSW's northern rivals have claimed the underdog tag.

The've parlayed that against-the-odds spirit into victory in two of the last three series, most memorably in 2020, when a Maroons side derided by some Sydney media as the worst in their Origin history managed to snatch the shield.

After the Game I fightback win this year, Slater waxed lyrical about overcoming the odds as a kind of Queensland survival instinct, instilled by drought, cyclones and floods.

But now that the shoe is on the other foot, the Blues will not seek to profit from their outsider status.

According to captain James Tedesco, there is too much else on their plates.

"No matter if we're favourites or underdogs, we still prepare the same way for every game," he said.

"We know it's going to be very hostile, there's going to be a lot of things going against us but we have to stay strong as a team.

"After losing a game, our intensity and everything we do goes up a level.

"It's just about if you think you've done everything, do a bit more.

"Whether that's physical or mental or everything in and around training, you just have to tick every box and more because there's no second chances."

Second-rower Tyson Frizell said no one inside the Blues' camp believed they were underdogs.

"It's all the outside noise that doesn't give us an opportunity," he told AAP.

"There's probably a lot of NSW people too that probably don't think that we have a chance at all.

"But at the end of the day it's only the 17 players that step on the field that are able to change that."

Fittler has already acknowledged losing the game in Brisbane would bring about the end of his tenure as coach.

The Blues are not yet considering whether a second consecutive series defeat could trigger changes on the field as well.

"We'll go up there and hopefully get a win, then that won't be a factor," said centre Tom Trbojevic.

"We deserve to put a performance in for him (Fittler).

"He's been awesome to play under and I'm sure it'd mean everything to him. That's what we're preparing to do."

© AAP 2023

A submersible taking wealthy tourists to visit the site of the Titanic wreckage in deep waters off the coast of Canada is missing for a third day, as US and Canadian ships and planes sweep a huge area trying to find the vessel.

One pilot and four passengers were on board the submersible that went missing on Sunday, the US Coast Guard said, adding the vessel could stay underwater for up to 96 hours, although it was unclear if it had resurfaced but was unable to communicate.

Those aboard the submersible called Titan, the highlight of a tourist expedition that costs $US250,000 ($A367,000) per person, included British billionaire Hamish Harding and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood with his son Suleman.

The 77-year-old French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of the vessel's US-based operating company OceanGate, were also reported to be on board.

"We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety," Dawood's family said on Tuesday.

US and Canadian ships and planes began swarming the area on Monday about 1450 kilometres east of Cape Cod, some dropping sonar buoys that can monitor to a depth of 3900 metres, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said.

"We are deploying all available assets to make sure that we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board," he told reporters on Monday.

"It is a remote area and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area."

He said officials had asked commercial vessels to help.

The wreckage of the Titanic that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg lies at about 3800 metres. The Titan submersible usually takes two hours to descend to the wreck.

OceanGate Expeditions, the private company that operates the submersible, said it was "mobilising all options" to rescue those aboard the Titan.

The US Coast Guard said on Twitter that a boat on the surface - the Polar Prince - lost contact with the submersible about one hour and 45 minutes after it began diving to the site of the Titanic's wreckage on Sunday.

The expeditions to the Titanic start in St. John's, Newfoundland, before heading out about 640km into the Atlantic to the wreckage site, OceanGate's website says.

Harding, a UAE-based businessman and adventurer who is chairman of Action Aviation, posted a message on his Facebook page on Saturday, saying: "Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023.

"A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow." He added: "More expedition updates to follow IF the weather holds!"

Harding's stepson later wrote on Facebook that Harding had "gone missing on submarine" and asked for "thoughts and prayers". He then removed the post citing respect for the family's privacy.

The expedition headed out to sea on Friday, and the first dive was set for Sunday morning, according to Harding's post.

Fellow tourist Dawood is the vice chairman of Engro Corporation, one of Pakistan's largest conglomerates with investments ranging from fertilisers and energy to vehicle manufacturing.

SETI, the California-based research institute of which he is a trustee, said on its website that Dawood lives in Britain with his wife and two children.

The British passenger ship sank on its maiden voyage, killing more than 1500 people, a tragedy that has been immortalized in books and films, including the 1997 blockbuster movie Titanic.

© RAW 2023

The next interest rate decision is shaping up to be another close call as the outlook for inflation remains shrouded in mystery.

The minutes from the Reserve Bank's June meeting, which resulted in another 25 basis point increase to bring the cash rate to 4.1 per cent, revealed a tight decision between another hike or staying on hold.

The "finely balanced" decision ultimately skewed towards another cash rate increase as the RBA board was faced with a range of factors threatening to push up inflation.

The release of the minutes came as a senior RBA official conceded the unemployment rate likely needed to rise significantly in order to bring inflation under control.

The minutes mentioned the higher-than-expected headline inflation result in April as well as stubborn price growth across services.

The board also raised concerns about wages and prices rising in sync with inflation, with some members noting some firms were "implicitly or directly" indexing prices.

Other factors that tilted the board towards another hike included the rebounding property market, which could buoy household spending, as well as a stabilisation in housing loan approvals.

These suggested financial conditions might not be as tight as previously thought.

Supporting the case for a pause were falling commodity prices and sinking international shipping costs.

There had been little change in medium-term inflation expectations in financial markets, which could help keep inflation expectations contained.

The board noted that the RBA had a history of overestimating wage growth before the COVID pandemic and that productivity could pick up by more than expected.

ANZ economist Adelaide Timbrell said the June minutes were not particularly hawkish.

"Unlike previous minutes, there was no talk of whether further increases were needed," she said.

The economist said the minutes had "something for everyone", including upside risks to inflation as well as relative optimism on productivity and labour unit costs.

ANZ economists are still tipping another 25-basis point hike in July following a strong jobs report and comments from RBA deputy governor Michele Bullock on the need to loosen up the jobs market to get inflation back to target.

Ms Bullock said an unemployment rate of around 4.5 per cent was consistent with the RBA's two-to-three per cent inflation band.

The jobless rate has been stuck well below four per cent for months, coming in below expectations at 3.6 per cent in May.

Ms Bullock said full employment had not taken a back seat to targeting inflation, but it was important to take some heat out of the labour market.

"If high inflation were to become entrenched in people's expectations, it would be very costly to reduce later, involving even higher interest rates and a larger rise in unemployment," she warned.

Ms Bullock also said the RBA had been willing to tolerate a longer wait, of until around mid-2025, to bring inflation back to target than some of its international peers in the hope of keeping more people in jobs.

The RBA expects the unemployment rate to rise to 4.5 per cent by late 2024.

Commonwealth Bank economists said the strong May employment numbers were enough to keep the July decision "live".

CBA economist Belinda Allen said there was a 50-50 chance of another hike, but she noted the May consumer price index and retail trade data would also influence the bank's final predictions.

Ms Allen said economic data since the June meeting had been mixed, with the national accounts pointing to a slowing economy, and consumer and business confidence levels very low.

"However the May labour force data was stronger than market economists had anticipated, although with the unemployment rate at 3.6 per cent, this is roughly in line with the RBA's forecast for June quarter 2023," she said.

© AAP 2023