League: Kearney: We are closing the gap

Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney. Photo / Getty Images

They might have developed a knack for winning matches when there's silverware up for grabs, but the Kiwis believe they have a long way to go before they are truly Australia's equal.

Although the Kiwis have claimed three of the past five major international trophies, the grim reality was that Saturday night's victory was just the Kiwis' second in their last 14 matches against the Kangaroos.

"There is still a gap between us," said coach Stephen Kearney. "We are slowly taking steps to close that gap. It is an ongoing process. We don't have the depth the Australians have and that is always going to be a work in progress. But [on Saturday night] we showed that if we get it right the gap is not that far."

Australian coach Tim Sheens concurred with that assessment, but lamented Australia's inability to get the job done when it mattered most.

"The record shows they have got the silverware so we are going to have to work hard," Sheens said. "We beat them regularly but you have to rise to the occasion in the big games too, when it means something."

Saturday night's victory had raised the bar for the Kiwis again, skipper Benji Marshall said.

The next step was to improve performances across the board and ensure there are no more repeats of the embarrassing defeat in Auckland.

"I just think we have got to keep our standards high," Marshall said. "What we dished out [in Auckland] wasn't us and we were embarrassed. We expect so much from ourselves now. We believe that we can be competitive in every game. We are just trying to grow our game. We have got a long way to catch up on rugby union but a win like [Saturday night] definitely helps."

Lock Jeremy Smith didn't believe Saturday's result dented Australia's pre-eminent position in the game but said he felt the Kiwis were capable of catching up one day.

"I think we can," Smith said. "I still think they are number one in the game but we are catching up to them. In due time we will be a force to be reckoned with."

While the results continue to come at the elite level, the performance of the champion Warriors juniors and the Junior Kiwis suggests there is plenty of talent coming through the system. Veteran back rower Simon Mannering said the game's governance had also improved dramatically under chief executive Jim Doyle and chairman Scott Carter.

"The right people are in the right places in New Zealand league and within this team to steer the ship in the right way," Mannering said. "And it is not just this group of players but the guys who are coming through below us in the 20s who have showed there is a bright future.

"The more we can get the younger guys realising that they want to play for their country the stronger we are going to get and the better chance we are going to have against the more dominant country."

Having proved he can guide the Kiwis to success without Wayne Bennett, Kearney's status as coach has also received a major boost. It wasn't something, however, that concerned him.

"I'm not interested in what it does for me," he said. "I'm interested in what it does for the game back home and these guys, seeing the emotion, what it means to them playing for our jumper and playing for each other."