KEY POINTS:
If there's one moment Kiwis coach Brian McClennan will keep seeing over the summer I bet it won't be the Darren Lockyer try that allowed the Aussies to sneak home in the Tri-Nations final.
I'm picking it'll be the 40/20 kick Kangaroos hooker Cameron Smith pulled out of the hat in the dying minutes of normal time.
Because believe me, if one thing got the Kiwis in the end, it was the problem they never sorted at the outset of the series, and that's a lack of a kicking game from dummy-half.
Dene Halatau made a reasonable fist of the position but I can't help thinking someone like Lance Hohaia could have made the difference.
Whatever's stopping his progress at the Warriors and the Kiwis needs to be sorted because it's letting down a potentially brilliant side.
The Kiwis will also be ruing the silly penalties they gave away in the first half. It allowed the Aussies to build momentum they didn't strictly deserve. They will be quietly pinching themselves this morning as they deal with their hangovers wondering how they got away with it.
They did plenty right though and I was impressed with the way they shut down the Kiwis' power game in the middle of the park. They also got their brilliant backs involved and while they bombed a few crucial passes there was always an air of menace out wide.
This will really hurt the Kiwis for a long time. And not just in the way they lost it.
The family-oriented culture McClennan has fostered in his time in charge has worked wonders. When the team is winning the bonds strengthen, the team become stronger and harder to beat. But failure is felt much more deeply as well and can be soul destroying.
When the dust dies down and McClennan starts planning his next campaign I reckon he might look at revisiting this approach.
So in some ways the signalled retirements of Ruben Wiki, Nigel Vagana and Stacey Jones from international footy could have a silver lining. Make no mistake, they will leave a huge hole and their experience and professionalism will be missed. But the need to inject new players into this team with a new leader might help Bluey with that culture change.
He's done a fantastic job with the Kiwis and while they didn't retain their title I think McClennan's achieved something even more important - the new respect he's brought back to the Kiwis jersey.
Forget Grannygate and the gifting of a test jersey to an Australian - it's players like Adam Blair, Iosia Soliola, Steve Matai and David Fa'alogo who represent the future power of the Kiwis.
So I hope McClennan doesn't dwell on the one that got away for long. He's already shown his ability to scout and develop talent. He now has three more holes to fill.
And in his search for a new leader he should be dialling Sonny Bill Williams and straight after that the Bulldogs and put the both of them on notice: Sonny Bill is required for captaincy duties forthwith. And while McClennan's at it he can get on the blower to Benji Marshall and get him excited about the Kiwis jersey as well.
But if there's one person that needs to be nailed down for the long term it's the coach himself.
McClennan has had a taste of something special in the past year and I just hope this setback hasn't got him wondering if there's somewhere else he could be fulfilling his career ambitions.
You can guarantee there'll be plenty of clubs looking to buy his services.
For the New Zealand Rugby League and the future of the Kiwis it would mean paying the highest price.
