Recalled front-rower Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was disappointing, with the Sydney Roosters firebrand again failing to bring his outstanding club form to the international arena, and captain Jesse Bromwich had an unusually quiet outing.
Cowboys lock Jason Taumalolo was underutilised by coach David Kidwell, but the Dally M winner struggled to make an impact in his limited time on the park.
Bench prop Adam Blair tried hard to inspire his teammates and Melbourne Storm back-rowers Kevin Proctor and Tohu Harris led the way defensively with 44 and 35 tackles each.
In comparison, Australia had six forwards run in excess of 100 metres with try-scoring back-rower Boyd Cordner (141m) and senior prop Matt Scott (134m) the standouts.
2. Poor last tackle plays from sloppy Kiwis
The Kiwis fifth tackle options were awful with halfback Shaun Johnson struggling to put any sustained pressure on Australia or engineer repeat sets.
The Warriors playmaker failed to take the game by the scruff of the neck, and while the forwards below-par effort did not help, he rarely tested the Kangaroos defence and made just three runs for 17 metres.
Johnson persisted with targeting Kangaroos debutant Valentine Holmes with high balls, looking to isolate him in the unfamiliar position on the left-wing against Kiwis newcomer Jordan Rapana, but the Sharks flyer handled everything that came his way.
Five-eighth Thomas Leuluai was the dominant playmaker and strong on both attack and defence but there was little cohesion and direction in the Kiwis backline play and their reliance on set-plays proved ineffective.
Hooker Issac Luke was quiet with the ball and did little to take the pressure off his halves.
3. Kangaroos clear favourites heading into Four Nations
The Kiwis might hold the number one world ranking and be reigning champions but head into the Four Nations having suffered twin losses to Australia.
The Kangaroos five-tries-to-one victory followed their 16-0 Anzac test win in Newcastle in May, and showed why the Mal Meninga-coached side will be favourites when the tournament gets underway in England in a fortnight's time.
With captain Cameron Smith and halves Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston calling the shots, the Kangaroos looked composed and clinical while focusing on getting the basics right throughout a side containing three debutants.
It's expected New Zealand will improve throughout their month-long campaign but last night's scrappy display showed they have a long way to go to close the gap on Australia.
