Dale Budge: The NZRL attitude is to blame

Kevin Proctor, Russell Packer and Jason Taumalolo in the pre-game. Photo / Getty Images

Last night's embarrassing 30-12 loss to the Kangaroos should serve as notice for the clowns running New Zealand Rugby League to make a major attitude adjustment before the World Cup.

The Kiwis were totally out-played in every facet of the contest and the result was secured before halftime.

Coach David Kidwell and his team will come under examination after another lopsided score line in what will serve as the final Anzac Test (thank goodness) but it goes beyond the team on the park to find where the problems lie.

New Zealand has employed an arrogant attitude towards the way they run their operation for a while now and it is a long time since it resulted in strong performances.

They've never really done as much as they should in regards to pre-game media but this particular camp has seen the bar lowered to unprecedented levels. It was so bad that Australian coach Mal Meninga had to publicly criticize the NZRL attitude towards the game.

Those players represent our country; they're wearing our national colours and they have a responsibility to front those fans making the effort to pay for the rights to watch the game, that give up their time to follow the side or the money to purchase supporters gear. A coach and playing group might think media is an unwarranted distraction but that is where the front office and management group need to step in and explain the importance of promoting the game and the players that are taking part. That hasn't happened - in fact the opposite has occurred and fans have a right to hold these people to account.

The selectors have shown a similar arrogance in recent years too, refusing to pick certain players irrespective of how many others withdraw in front of them. We've seen players picked out of position and makeshift selections to avoid picking proven specialists. Sure, selectors have the right to do that but if a player is black listed for some reason surely fans deserve to know why? If not, we can only assume that it is a simple case of selectors preferring others. If those selections result in poor performance, which has been the case over the past two years, then those selectors need to be held to account too.

Why is Jared Waerea-Hargreaves constantly over-looked when he's clearly performed at a high enough standard for the Roosters? Why did selectors so steadfastly leave Benji Marshall out and play the likes of Tui Lolohea and Tohu Harris at five-eighth when they had little experience there? Worse still, when the move back-fired why do we not see those in charge held responsible?

It does not surprise me in the slightest that the on-field performance is sub-standard when the organisation's attitude is so far off.

The Australians themselves have been burned by arrogance before. They under-estimated the Kiwis in 2005 and got out-enthused in Leeds. They thought the World Cup final in 2008 was a formality and were already patting themselves on the back when the Kiwis surprised them in the decider. Likewise in 2010 and in 2014 they had numerous front line players opt out of playing - a strong Kiwis side upset them in Brisbane and Wellington respectively.

If you demonstrate the wrong attitude you will come unstuck more times than not.

Kidwell pointed to positives to come from the loss. I'm not sure what positives he saw but I saw a team completely dominated in every aspect of the game by a rampant Australian side in the first spell. The game was over at halftime and they eased off the gas in the second half with the result a certainty.

Unless something changes in a hurry the best the Kiwis can hope for at this year's World Cup is to win the right to play Australia in the final because they have next to no chance of winning at this rate.