League: New haka blamed for lack of focus

Benji Marshall and Sam McKendry of the Kiwis perform the haka before the Four Nations match against the Australian Kangaroos. Photo / Getty Images

It was the haka that did it. Okay, it might not have been entirely to blame, but the haka did play a part in the Kiwis' capitulation in Auckland last week.

So says captain Benji Marshall, who admitted that many of the Kiwis were more focused on getting the team's new haka right than playing well against Australia.

The home side flopped in the opening 20 minutes, and it seems the haka has been fingered as one of the reasons. As a result the Kiwis will revert to their traditional Ka Mate haka in tomorrow night's Four Nations final in Brisbane.

"A lot of the boys admitted last week that, with the new haka, [they] were focusing on doing the haka right when it should have been on playing well," Marshall said. "We'll go back to the normal haka and now there are no excuses."

Fuel for the fire, certainly, for those who believe the haka is little more than distracting posturing. However, Marshall disagreed with suggestions the pre-match ritual was a waste of energy.

"It's a traditional thing that [Maori] used to do before wars so it can't take up too much energy. For us, we love doing it and it really fires us up. That's why we get in a huddle afterwards, to settle down a bit and refocus on what we have got to do."

After missing a tackle on Cooper Cronk and putting a kickoff out on the full - both errors that led to early Kangaroos tries - Marshall was his own harshest critic last week. But he denied he had overplayed his hand and said his sole focus was on turning around his own performance in the final.

"I'm an integral part of our team and my job is a major factor in the way the team goes," he said. "I'm not worried about what anyone else is doing, I've just got to do my job for the team."

Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens, Marshall's club coach at Wests Tigers, believes he knows exactly what the Kiwis playmaker will produce.

"I know Benji pretty well," Sheens said. "I know what he'll do. He'll run more. Our job will be to stop him from running more."

Kiwis coach Steve Kearney, however, stressed that his captain was only one cog in a machine that will have to function much better as a collective if they are to turn around last week's 34-20 defeat.

"All we need Benji to do is do his job," Kearney said. "The other members of the side, if they do their jobs it makes Benji's job a lot easier. It is very personal this week with our guys. To a man last week they were very disappointed. They've made it an important part of this week to understand what they need to do [tomorrow night]. It is their responsibility to get it done."

The omission of veteran prop Petero Civoniceva is the major talking point in Australia, with Sheens revealing the ageing Queensland warhorse had asked to be stood down.

Civoniceva is believed to have felt he was a liability against the Kiwis' speedy dummy half runners, prompting Sheens to plump for the more mobile Nate Myles on the bench instead.

The Australian camp denied the move signalled the end of the Penrith skipper's glittering representative career, with captain Darren Lockyer saying he expected Civoniceva to turn out for Queensland next season.

Lockyer also quashed speculation tomorrow night might be his last test, saying he hadn't given the matter a moment's thought.

"I'm approaching it as a final," Lockyer said.

"The Four Nations is up for grabs. In their last three finals New Zealand have won two and lost the third one in extra time so it is a challenge. It is going to be a tough battle."

WHAT: Four Nations final
WHERE: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
WHEN: 10.15pm (NZT) Saturday
TV: Sky Sport 2