League: Smith warns of more to come

Cameron Smith. Photo / Supplied

Hooker Cameron Smith says the Kangaroos have a couple of cards up their sleeve for their Four Nations league showdown with the Kiwis in Brisbane tonight.

Defending champions Australia head into the final unbeaten and on the back of an emphatic 34-20 win over New Zealand in Auckland last weekend in the pool stage.

But vice-captain Smith said the personnel changes the Kangaroos made for the Eden Park test meant they had yet shown their full hand.

"We certainly didn't play all of our cards because we have three or four blokes that didn't play that game playing this week," he said.

"I guess that will keep the Kiwis guessing a little bit."

Among those returning for the Suncorp Stadium clash after sitting out in Auckland are skipper Darren Lockyer and fullback Billy Slater.

Along with Slater, five-eighth Lockyer and halfback Cooper Cronk, Smith is part of a dangerous playmaking spine in the Australian side. Smith said there were two key areas the Australians would be concentrating on.

"It's whoever holds on to the ball the best and whoever wants to defend the longest," he said.

"Last week we did both things quite well for the majority of the match but we know this week we're going to have to do it for 80 minutes, because we're not going to see the Kiwi side we saw last week.

"There's no doubt about it. They're going to be ready to go."

Smith point to aspects of their defence as one thing the Australians wanted to improve on, saying they gave the Kiwis too many cheap metres at times.

Another was avoiding a repeat of the final 15 minutes, when Kiwi skipper Benji Marshall set up two consolation tries that gave the scoreline respectability.

"Towards the end we clocked off and let Benji do his own thing and he ran riot," Smith said.

Australia will go in as heavy favourites, having lost once to the Kiwis in 13 transtasman tests over the past five years.

That sole defeat was in the 2008 World Cup final, which was also at Suncorp Stadium.

Smith said the events of that night had been touched on this week.

"I don't think anyone involved in that game will ever forget what happened there, but we're not using it as motivation," he said.

- NZPA