League: Kearney insists his side face tough task tonight

Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney says his side is prepared to meet a resurgent Kangaroos outfit in the Four Nations final in Wellington tonight.

The Kiwis insist they are under no illusions about how tough it will be to beat the Australians despite drawing plenty of confidence from beating them in their opening tournament match in Brisbane three weeks ago.

Sitting with Kiwis skipper Simon Mannering alongside their Australian counterparts, coach Tim Sheens and captain Cameron Smith, yesterday at Westpac Stadium, Kearney said their rivals had improved vastly over their last two round-robin games.

"[They produced] a real tough performance against England and also a wonderful match against Samoa, so we know what we are in for tomorrow night," Kearney said.

He tried to downplay the Kiwis' initial Suncorp Stadium success.

"The Australian side ... had two players who didn't go back on in the second-half [Daly Cherry-Evans and Greg Inglis] and the conditions were pretty taxing." He added a lot "hadn't played in a while" so that took a toll.

He went on to deflect talk about the Kiwis' strong position as the only unbeaten side in the tournament and once again dismissed suggestions that they are favourites to take out tonight's decider.

"We understand that we've got to take our very best performance to the park and that's all we are focusing on."

Kearney conceded the home advantage would only help their cause but stressed the point his players need to focus on executing their individual roles to ensure the team's performance is up to scratch.

He acknowledged his side's form had fluctuated throughout the tournament but he believed the Kiwis had taken comfort from grinding out two close wins over Samoa and England without having hit their straps.

"It builds confidence."

The Kiwis had adjusted well through the week after a shoulder injury ruled in-form hooker Thomas Leuluai out of the final, prompting a recall for bench utility Lewis Brown, who will play back-up to starting No 9 Issac Luke.

"When you're replacing Tommy with Issac Luke, he's a fairly handy replacement," Kearney said.

"Certainly with the way Lewis Brown played in the first two matches was a real positive for us. It's been fairly seamless in that sense.

"Kieran [Foran] and Shaun [Johnson] obviously take up a bit more [responsibility]. Tommy, he's a good talker in the middle of the field, so we've all put our hands up in terms of the playmakers and taken on a bit more."