League: Aussies get the measure

The Kiwis completed their last training run before tonight's test in light drizzle and without incident at Ericsson Stadium yesterday, then handed the ground over to the Australians - who measured it before training in rain.

The Ericsson pitch will be the NRL size of 100m by 68m and with 8m in-goals after Australian concerns the Kiwis might be trying to pull a swifty in changing the field dimensions.

The Kiwis dismissed any talk about the Kangaroos yesterday. They said they'd play in a car park and they didn't care what the weather did; their focus was on beating Australia.

Asked about Australian motivation following the loss in Sydney, Kiwis coach Brian McClennan shrugged. "It's not about them, it's about what we do."

Had they wound up the Aussies with the field dilemma? "We're not, are we? We haven't done anything."

They are injury-free, and Shontayne Hape had fitted in well since flying in from England. They were not using any rivalry as motivation.

"To beat Australia in rugby league is really big. They're probably the best international side in any code.

"We're motivated by what we can do. The higher the price you pay, the bigger the rewards and this one is going to be big."

The key was having their forward pack cart the ball past the halfway mark in their sets so they could get a good kick and put pressure on, McClennan said.

Australian skipper Darren Lockyer said yesterday the 28 points his players put on the board at Telstra Stadium represented a fair effort on attack.

But he said the Australians' ball control overall was "pretty ordinary" while their defence had to improve.

"We let in a lot of points," he said.

"Take nothing away from the Kiwis, they played great football with the ball, but defensively we need to be better and we've addressed that this week."

* The NZRL is sweating on a big walk-up crowd, as usual, with the ground just half-sold. The local league needs the cash - and the credibility a full house will bring if it presses to host Tri-Nations games.

Fax messages of support to the Kiwis at the Heritage Hotel - (09) 379 8554.