It has been well documented we are planning for the future but I am convinced we wil02-05-2014 05:00:00l have a side in 12 months not only competing with Australia but also beating the world champions.
Along with Leuluai, Pritchard, Matulino and Luke, we have the likes of Kieran Foran, Simon Mannering, Jesse Bromwich, Shaun Johnson, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Dean Whare and Elijah Taylor.
By the time the next World Cup rolls around in 2017, some of those mentioned will have played close to 200 NRL games and 30 tests. That experience will be invaluable and will mean the Kiwis team will be close to where the Kangaroos are right now.
This is probably the greatest Australian side in history and many of the players have developed combinations over the past seven or eight years through club football, State of Origin and tests. Australia will always have players coming through to replace the current crop.
I believe we are developing players to match them and, while the Australians will field a team with an average age of 28, the Kiwis are closer to 24. That has to be exciting.
There have been a couple of big-name omissions that have surprised many. Those omissions will hopefully galvanise the players we picked and motivate those who missed out.
No one can afford to become complacent when playing for the Kiwis and we only want players who respect the jersey to the utmost. Respect for the jersey is high on our list of prerequisites.
Many are expecting the Kiwis to get hoovered by the world champions tonight, especially without a designated spine.
It comes down to belief and whether the players truly believe they can win this game. If they do, I believe they can cause an upset.
Kiwi teams have done it in the past, like in 1998 when we won the only Anzac test to date.
There was a real belief in our ability in that side and teams can often stumble when they are put under pressure.
Maybe the Kiwis need to play with more unpredictability and it's up to coach Stephen Kearney to develop the best gameplan for the situation. We have total faith in what he is doing as coach.
This looms as a huge test for halfback Shaun Johnson. This will challenge his ability to lead a side around the park because he will run things on both sides of the ruck but he can't afford to let his head drop if things go against him.
He still shows signs of immaturity as a playmaker, like when he takes a hitup instead of demanding someone else does it and saving himself for the back end of the tackle count.
But Johnson should look on the game as a massive opportunity, just like everyone else in the side.
