Rugby League: Sheens stakes his future on test

Don't be fooled - this Australian team will be as confident and polished as ever. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Kiwis fans with long memories might be a bit worried about tomorrow night.

Everywhere you go in Brisbane, Australian players and pundits are talking up the New Zealand team. The Kiwis are "so big", "so fast", "so strong" and (for once) have established combinations. The Kangaroos are running scared - or so it appears.

It feels just like the build-up to the 1988 World Cup final. Back then, as Wally Lewis explained in his autobiography Wally and the Broncos, the Australians deliberately talked up the opposition.

The Kiwis were overwhelming favourites and struggled with the huge weight of expectation.

Yesterday Sam Thaiday lauded the Kiwis pack, a day after Matt Scott labelled Jesse Bromwich the best front rower in the game. Corey Parker conceded that the Kangaroos had "lost their aura" while Michael Jennings was asked if this Kiwis team "now have the wood on the Australians".

Hell, you know something is in the air when even local taxi drivers are raving about the visiting team.

But don't be fooled. This Australian team will be as confident and polished as ever. Tim Sheens hasn't just rolled the dice, he's bet his future on this game. Forget about building for the coming years; the veteran coach needs this win and has rolled out the veterans, with the bulk of the team that won the 2013 World Cup final back.

Johnathan Thurston is a crucial inclusion while Matt Scott was sorely missed last year, as were Luke Lewis and James Tamou. And then there is the Cameron Smith factor; after never experiencing defeat as Australian skipper, he lost twice in the space of three weeks last year. He won't contemplate a third.

Fortunately, this Kiwis side is likely to keep their feet on the ground with all the hype around them.

There is a quiet confidence but they know it will take another huge effort. Their playmakers are either struggling for form (Shaun Johnson) or fitness (Kieran Foran) and they have a makeshift centre (Peta Hiku) and a rookie - albeit extremely promising - fullback (Roger Tuivasa-Sheck). But, just like last year, the forwards will decide the destiny of this match.