All Whites coach Danny Hay believes the upcoming series with Australia is a chance to "bury the demons" of the traumatic intercontinental playoff defeat to Costa Rica in June.
The pain of that night, as New Zealand produced one of their best performances on the world stage but came awaywith only pride and myriad 'what might have been' moments, will linger for a long time.
A positive result in Doha could have transformed the sport and plenty of careers, with the financial injection and spotlight provided.
It wasn't to be, but being back in camp, for a rare series against Australia, will help the healing process.
"We want to bury the demons of what happened in June," said Hay. "We felt like we were a bit hard done by; for us it is a chance to bury a little bit of that."
The opportunity to play a major rival and perform in front of big crowds for only the third time in this World Cup cycle (after Ireland in 2019 and the Peru clash in May) has quickened pulses in the All Whites camp.
"We don't get a chance to play against good sides often enough," said Hay. "It is a really big issue for New Zealand football so we are super excited about this."
It has been a highly compressed preparation but no excuses have been offered and trainings have been sharp and focussed.
The bonds of the last 12 months are evident, along with well-practiced routines, as combinations click into gear.
All Whites coach Danny Hay and striker Chris Wood at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Photo / Photosport
However, the series shapes as a significant physical and logistical test, with extremely limited preparation and two matches in less than 72 hours.
Defender Bill Tuiloma and striker Alex Greive only arrived in Brisbane yesterday and are likely to play a limited role in tonight's game.
It will also be a challenge for midfield regulars Joe Bell and Marko Stamenic, who touched down on Tuesday night, along with striker Andre de Jong, while Michael Boxall, Kyle Adams and Deklan Wynne didn't take a full part in Tuesday evening's training after arriving from the United States a few hours before.
It's a jigsaw for Hay, who will want his best possible XI for the home clash at Eden Park while also ensuring a strong combination for the Brisbane match.
"We will have to be very careful in terms of how we juggle the loading of players, just about every player had minutes [in Europe or USA] and they had to make the long flight down," said Hay. "We need to look after the players, to make sure they can physically cope with this. Two games in a short space of time with major flight time is never easy so we are going to have to box pretty clever around that."
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has the advantage of a 31-man squad (New Zealand has 24), so could use an entirely fresh team for each match if desired.
"Their players will be vying for World Cup positions so we know it is going to be particularly tough," said Hay.
