KEY POINTS:
When Sonny Bill Williams and Benji Marshall eventually sit down to write their autobiographies, it would wouldn't be a surprise if they borrowed the title for them from one of the literary world's most famous books - Great Expectations.
The men are two of the hottest properties in
rugby league - Williams after his incredible season in 2004 and Marshall after sparking the Wests Tigers to the 2005 title - but both have been beset by injuries that have seen them reduced to mere mortals at times.
The challenge for them now is to recapture the form that made them such dominant players.
But Marshall, in particular, is becoming tired of the expectations placed on his shoulders. Even Australian coach Ricky Stuart challenged them to live up to their reputations in the lead-up to the test.
"It's frustrating. There are a lot of expectations on myself and Sonny and people expect miracles every game," he admitted after an indifferent test performance on Friday night.
"They expect you to pull out big plays every time you touch the ball and that's not the case. Every time we touch the ball, we just do what we expect. The expectations are a bit too high from a lot of people.
"I have only played 50-odd games. There's still a long way to go in my career. People can expect all they want but I will just take it at my pace and I will get there."
It would be a tragedy for the game and the Kiwis if Marshall and Williams don't "get there" because the two of them are the keys to any future New Zealand success.
Williams was one Kiwi to stand out on Friday night against Australia, although more for his work-rate on attack and defence and for try-saving tackles.
Like New Zealand's attack in general, he lacked fluency going forward and lost the ball on a couple of occasions as he looked to spark something.
Again, he may be feeling the expectations on him to create something every time he has the ball.
Marshall showed only flashes of his brilliance - a deft chip-kick and good run down the left his best moments - but admits it is taking time for him to recapture his form after missing most of 2006 following shoulder surgery.
"I felt I did some good things, some poor things too," he said. "I just felt I was letting myself get out of the game too much. I needed to get involved again. I improved again from the last few weeks and showed some signs of promise."
Despite their youth - Marshall is 22, Williams is 21 - the nature of Friday night's Kiwi side meant they are seen as relative old hands. Although they have played only nine tests between them, they have both won NRL titles and know what it takes to lead a team.
Williams admitted it felt different this time in camp with the Kiwis without the likes of Ruben Wiki, Stacey Jones and Nigel Vagana and he acknowleged that he took on a more senior role than normal.
"I spoke a lot more than I usually speak in the Bulldogs," he said as he sat in the Kiwis dressing room after the game, with ice packs protruding from all parts of his body.
"It's funny coming into camp and there are 20-year-olds. It was exciting. I think those guys look up to you in the same way I [looked up to players] when I first came in.
"Nigel helped me out when I came in. I added little comments here and there and hopefully they took something out of it."
