KEY POINTS:
The Aussies apparently plan a "bash Benji" campaign in the World Cup final in Brisbane tonight.
Hardly a surprise, as high-stepping, side-slipping five-eighth Benji Marshall is the Kiwis' main threat close to the ruck and scrum, and if they stop him, they kill the New Zealand attack.
Marshall
has always been talked about in terms of potential and moments of brilliance, as in the back-flip pass that won the Tigers the 2005 grand final when he sent Pat Richards in to score.
But after repeat shoulder surgery, knee and other injuries, he has played just seven tests since debut in 2005, four of those in this tournament. He is yet to register a win over the Kangaroos and as the Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart is wont to say, when a team wins, the halves own it.
Marshall is yet to stand up and prove his worth. He's talked about doing that in this test, even talked about New Zealand's chances of winning. His coach Stephen Kearney has spoken of how Marshall has produced patches of his flair for the team and now the team wanted him to produce that for 80 minutes.
Stuart is wary that he will return to form. After watching tape of the Kiwis-England game, Stuart commented during the week that Marshall "has got the spark back".
So Marshall can expect a hammering if the Kangaroos forwards get hold of him with the ball. Without it and on defence, the Kiwis will try to surround him with tacklers when in the middle or hide him out wide because the Aussie forwards will pick him out to run at well before they run at the smaller Nathan Fien, who is always tough, or hooker Thomas Leuluai whose defence has improved markedly.
Marshall is one key for the Kiwis, the other is Lance Hohaia. The Kangaroos will have absorbed the repeat dropped ball Hohaia offers near the Kiwis' goal line, Martin Gleeson scoring off a Danny McGuire bomb and several lucky escapes following other misses. He will be targeted by Kangaroos kickers Darren Locker and Johnathan Thurston.
It's hard to see the Kiwis stopping the Australian roll-on from veteran props Steve Price and Petero Civoniceva and, once they get the New Zealanders back-pedalling, Cameron Smith will deliver ball to the playmakers wider of the traffic. Thurston, Lockyer, Greg Inglis and Israel Folau and fullback Billy Slater can be expected to carve the broken line.
The Australian team is well established, with few changes over the past two years. The Kiwis squad is full of newcomers with the bulk of the players under age 25.
The Kangaroos vastly outweigh them in test experience. They have eight wins on the trot against New Zealand since the 2005 Tri Nations final, and have never lost a World Cup game to the Kiwis in 13 encounters.
There are minimal factors in the Kiwis' favour: they have suffered no illness or injury and have not had any pre-game changes forced on them.
Meanwhile Aussie centre Brent Tate withdrew yesterday with the hip flexor injury on his right side suffered during the semifinals last weekend - this requires rest and will not affect his start to the Warriors season. Paul Gallen remained in doubt yesterday with a corked thigh, with Anthony Watmough on standby. Lockyer has been suffering from a virus.
The Kiwis have the benefit of two tough games against England behind them, while the Kangaroos thrashed Papua New Guinea 48-6 and Fiji 52-0.
"The last two weeks is probably not the ideal preparation in regard to playing a final against New Zealand and how we handle that is the most important issue," Stuart said this week.
This time the Kiwis have the benefit of the infinite league knowledge of Brisbane Broncos, Queensland, Australia and All Golds mentor Wayne Bennett, whose winning record at all those levels is unequalled. While Kearney has developed the game plan in conjunction with Bennett, and run it in training, it is Bennett who has been offering the individuals insight into their opponents and advice on how to defend or attack their strengths and weaknesses.
Bennett at some time has coached a substantial number of the Kangaroos players and Kearney knows the Melbourne Storm players.
Aussie captain Lockyer spoke of Bennett's influence ahead of big games: "The main thing Wayne will do is instil a belief in the players that they can do it. With all his experience, he'll be able to settle their nerves a bit and draw on his experience to prepare those guys."
The Aussies will each take home A$30,000 ($35,000) if they win the final.
The Kiwis won a A$5000 ($5830) bonus for making the final, with the bonus for the title yet to be decided. The winner gets A$650,000 ($758,000), second $300,000 ($350,000).
Organisers say the event will make a profit of A$5 million and there have been over 220,000 ticket sales, including the 52,000 sell-out tonight.
* Steve Price was last night ruled out after tearing his left calf muscle at the team's final training session. A replacement will be named today.
New Zealand v Australia
Suncrop Stadium, 10 tonight
New Zealand:
Lance Hohaia
Sam Perrett
Simon Mannering
Jerome Ropati
Manu Vatuvei
Benji Marshall
Nathan Fien
Nathan Cayless (c)
Thomas Leuluai
Adam Blair
Bronson Harrison
David Fa'alogo
Jeremy Smith
Interchange: Issac Luke, Greg Eastwood, Sam Rapira, Sika Manu
Australia:
Billy Slater
Joel Monaghan
Greg Inglis
Israel Folau
David Williams
Darren Lockyer (c)
J. Thurston
Petero Civoniceva
Cameron Smith
Glenn Stewart
Anthony Laffranchi
Paul Gallen
Interchange: Karmichael Hunt, Craig Fitzgibbon, Anthony Tupou, Brent Kite.
