KEY POINTS:
BRISBANE - Nathan Cayless isn't bitter. In fact, he even predicts Roy Asotasi will be one day be viewed as a legendary Kiwis league captain.
A day after Asotasi's appointment at the Kiwis' helm for tomorrow's Anzac test against the heavily favoured Kangaroos, he got the universal thumbs up at the team's first full training in suburban Brisbane.
"I'm very comfortable with it. I think Roy's going to be one of the great New Zealand captains. He's one of the best front rowers in the world and he's got a lot of respect from the boys. I respect him a lot," Cayless said.
"Ever since he's been in the team he's taken a leadership role. He's got a really good captaincy career in front of him over the next five or so years. It's a great selection."
Cayless last captained the Kiwis in 2004 before Wiki took over the reins.
The Parramatta skipper appeared the logical choice to reassume the leadership this week but Asotasi, at 25, four years Cayless' junior, was seen as the man for the future.
Cayless and Penrith captain Tony Puletua, the two most experienced Kiwis in the absence of departed trio Wiki, Nigel Vagana and Stacey Jones, would help share the load on Friday night, Cayless said.
Asotasi will lead from the front in what should be a typically bruising forward battle.
Last November in the epic Tri-Nations final the forward packs cancelled each other out and the game was only busted open by some Johnathan Thurston-Darren Lockyer brilliance in extra time.
This week, recalled Kangaroos forward Luke O'Donnell led the verbal charge, saying the hosts would look to "show them a lesson" with the World Cup a year away.
Without the retired Wiki and the injured David Kidwell, the Kiwis forwards are still backing themselves to at least gain parity and give their brilliant halves Ben Roberts and Benji Marshall space.
Pack leader Willie Mason is already in the sights of Asotasi, his former teammate, and Sonny Bill Williams, his good mate and fellow Bulldogs forward.
"It would be nice to wipe the smile off him," Asotasi grinned this week.
Said Williams: "It will be exciting to play against him. He's a big, talented bloke but we'll be going out there to control their forwards so Lockyer and Thurston don't get that much room."
Bench forward Frank Pritchard, one of the National Rugby League's (NRL) form players of 2007, admitted the absence of Wiki, Vagana and Jones who totalled nearly 140 tests between them, took some adjusting to.
"It feels kind of funny without Ruben and Stace. A couple of old fellas to keep us level headed. You look around and there's a lot of young guys here ready to step up to the plate.
"They're missed but we're going to have to show what we've got."
Pritchard was the talking point of last year's 12-50 thrashing by the Kangaroos in Brisbane after he flattened fullback Karmichael Hunt in a legitimate tackle early in the second half.
While this year's rushed buildup is similar to last year's, including some key absentees, Pritchard said the Tri-Nations tournament had instilled some self-belief.
"Last year's behind us. Australia put plenty of points on us and most of the game we were playing catchup footy.
"This year there's some new kids and we're going to play more of a fast game and do our thing. It was a cricket score last year and I don't think that's going to happen this time."
- NZPA
