League: Braveheart moment marks high point in lost cause

Kangaroo Cameron Smith (left) deals to David Kidwell. Picture / Richard Robinson

Australia 30 New Zealand 18

Simon Mannering's lonely chase of Kangaroo centre Mark Gasnier should long be fondly remembered by those who believe there is victory to be had in a lost cause.

The 20-year-old Warrior's test debut, in the unaccustomed position of lock, was a star turn for the Kiwis in their loss to Australia at Mt Smart Stadium.

Anyone who has witnessed the giant centre's debut NRL season would know that here is a young man up for the battle.

His chasing of Gasnier, who had latched on to a flightless Stacey Jones pass and then galloped at least 90m to the far corner, marked Mannering down as a test braveheart.

He had already produced a mountain of work including 20-odd tackles when Gasnier struck before halftime.

The time-in-motion experts calculate that locks, who rove the centrefield, might run 18km in a match. Centres, who operate in zones, may run less than half of that.

Considering Mannering's high workload and that Gasnier was the busiest centre from either side at that point in the match, Mannering might have clocked up 10km compared with Gasnier's four.

It was a wondrous chase of the brilliant Australian centre.

Yet like the game itself, the Kiwi was performing above expectations and drawing on diminishing reserves. In the end, the Kangaroo skipped away.

This is going to be the problem for the Kiwis, as they attempt to defend their title and hunt Australia down.

There is more than a hint that Kiwi coach Brian McClennan is half-assuming his side will make the late-November grand final in Sydney, so he can build towards it rather than rushing preparations.

By final time, and also against Great Britain thanks to revised medical reports, the Kiwis should have Nathan Fien at dummy half. They desperately need a specialist but Fien will still be absent in Melbourne on Saturday night. Even Australian captain Darren Lockyer points out that this is a long tournament, no doubt wiser after the Kangaroos crashed in Leeds last year.

The big question is this: how will the Kiwis contain the stunning Australian backline, which lacked cohesion but still fired the winning shots? Yes, there was the pulse-racing sight of the 24th-minute brawl, as Australian wing Matt King came up punching Manu Vatuvei, after a shoulder charge sent him sprawling into the soft hoardings. Lockyer was similarly tumbled. David Kidwell barrelled Willie Mason. The Kiwi wings, the impressive Vatuvei and the erratic Tame Tupou - who are more bookcases than bookends - landed a few big shots. With an 18,000 crowd charging up the atmosphere, the test bubbled and boiled, and threatened to spill over.

It was a moment of grace and exquisite skill though, with Australia's victory already assured, which endures beyond the bash.

Greg Inglis is as remarkable a footballer as the Australian press makes out, which is saying something.

He should, in all fairness, have been allowed to put the test beyond doubt soon after halftime, with Australia leading 20-6, when the video referee ruled a Karmichael Hunt decoy run had taken out Jerome Ropati before Inglis raced under the posts.

Australian coach Ricky Stuart complained: "That interpretation is getting a bit overboard. I couldn't see that person getting anywhere near Greg Inglis when three people in front of him had missed him."

Stuart was right.

Inglis did dot down, to grossly underplay his work, in the final stages. He was almost balletic in his stretch to grab a long Johnathan Thurston pass at pace. He then tip-toed down the sideline using remarkable balance before planting the ball with his outstretched hand as the Tupou sledgehammer flew across, too late to damage the Inglis lacework.

Hunt, Inglis, Gasnier, the loping Justin Hodges, the competent Matt King, all operating outside the great Lockyer. They pose huge questions the Kiwis will struggle to answer.