Graham Lowe: Kiwis step up to mark

COMMENT

Former Penrith and Australian league hardman Mark Geyer was the sort of player I loved as a coach.

Big, athletic and as tough as teak, he always played with great passion even though his flashpoint was constantly lurking just a hair's breadth below the surface of his sizeable frame.

In fact, as coach of Queensland, I came dangerously close to causing a possible catastrophic eruption of the volatile second-rower's temper during the second game of the 1991 State of Origin series, when Geyer and Queensland champion Wally Lewis squared off just as the halftime siren sounded.

After a nose-to-nose confrontation that threatened to develop into an all-in stoush, Geyer and Lewis headed to the tunnel still locking horns.

At the time I thought it would be helpful to our chances to wind Geyer up a little more as he headed off for his halftime orange.

As he walked past me in the tunnel I loudly questioned his psychiatric stability, and when he turned menacingly in my direction and had a swing, I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes.

Fortunately Geyer was quickly shepherded into the NSW changing room and I not only survived but went on to develop a relationship of mutual respect with him.

Geyer has always been an all-or-nothing, go-forward sort of bloke.

So I wasn't at all surprised when he came out with his observation last week that the Kiwi squad to play Australia were so ordinary they were akin to a reserve-grade NRL side.

Clearly, he hadn't fully engaged his brain, and as it turned out, the comment got wide press coverage and served as just the motivation the courageous New Zealand underdogs needed.

The whole episode reminded me of a favourite quote, attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, who said nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.

This summed up the Kiwis' approach to last Saturday's first Tri-Nations test.

It's easy, when everyone is calling you the underdog and writing off your chances, to assume the mantle of the also-ran.

It's an attitude which has often been seen in New Zealand sportspeople, not least some Kiwi sides of old.

Last Saturday's Kiwis refused to doubt themselves. They simply would not stand in awe of the Kangaroos.

It was a performance that had everything a league fan could want in the national side - bravery, passion, commitment and brute force.

And it promised much more, as the Kiwis look to have even more improvement in them, while the same could not be said of the Australians.

The full effect of the game didn't hit me until almost 24 hours later. I had the privilege of attending the annual get-together of the ex-Kiwis Association on Sunday, when I realised just what this 2004 Kiwi side had achieved.

Some of the greatest and toughest Kiwis of all time - men such as Maunga Emery, Sam Edwards, Ron Ackland, Eddie (Bunna) Moore, Don Hammond, Doug Gailey, Neville Denton, Tommy Baxter and many other greats - were present.

Many have suffered sorely for their absolute commitment to the sport, standing gingerly on crocked knees and hips for the traditional roll-call.

The physical price they paid as test footballers is now clear.

To a man, they were in awe of the Kiwi performance. Many, in their humility, reckoned they just could not have competed with today's footballers.

They're too big, too fast and too fit, was a comment I heard often. "How hard was that game," said one grizzled veteran, not as a question, but a statement of amazement.

I thought back to the days when the interchange was unheard-of, when a game meant a full 80 minutes of football for every player, and when television replays weren't around to provide protection from the cowboys with the coat-hangers. In my mind, they lost little in comparison.

But to see the pride they instilled in their forebears, and the justice they had done to the jersey, was perhaps the finest acclamation the 2004 Kiwis could have got.

They refused to feel inferior and they will be rewarded with the undying respect of many great men of New Zealand rugby league.

An Australian league test player nursing a wounded pride is the fiercest opponent any test team can face.

This is what our guys are up against in London on Sunday morning our time.

One of the striking differences between the two teams after the match was the sight of the Kiwis celebrating as if they had won, in stark contrast to the Aussies who were filthy on themselves.

Watching the jubilation on the sideline, one could almost sense the relief of New Zealand that the game ended in a draw. Now, it's imperative that the Kiwis resist any feeling of smugness about their great first-up performance, and make sure they go on with the job.

There's no doubt they have the talent to win this series. But the key will be making the right team selections.

They cannot afford to play the same type of game as they did in the first test, and if they do, they will get hammered this time.

A solid mixture of skill must be included with the passion and intensity displayed last Saturday night, when skill often gave way to brute force.

In fact, Australia outskilled the Kiwis with their draw-and-pass game in the first half, but there is no reason why that cannot be reversed in London.

The Aussies quickly identified that the Kiwi right-hand side defence was weak and disorganised. The marker defence was ordinary and, with no slide out at all from those on the inside, the right-hand edge was left totally exposed.

This problem is purely a lack of positional organisation and it should be easily fixed.

The attack, though, needs a rethink.

All the Kiwi forwards are capable of offloads as long as they are consistently backed up.

They must also vary their running angles instead of all running one off the ruck as they did.

The result was that Sonny Bill Williams - as threatening as he was - did not reach the heights in attack he could have, and that needs to change.

He is a great player with the ability to beat a man in most situations, but running one off the ruck into the meat of the defence as he did at Albany is not the most effective use of his attacking talent.

The courage and passion of this team cannot be denied but it must be blended with that extra bit of skill for New Zealand to get the league monkey off their backs, and put Australia out of contention.

* Reports on nzherald.co.nz/league