Graham Lowe: OK, Willie - it's time to put up or shut up

Big Willie Mason should pay attention to the philosophy of another Australian front row hard man when he fronts against the Kiwis in Melbourne tomorrow.

Ian Roberts was one of the toughest I ever coached and a great bloke. He's also the only player I've coached that came out and said he was gay. He had a trademark stare of hostility that made my blood run cold - and even disturbed some of our own players.

He didn't need to mouth off back at players who insulted him - he just gave them THAT STARE. When you saw it, look out, because it usually signalled a scud missile-type of tackle that more often than not left some poor opposition ball carrier wishing he'd missed the bus to the game.

When necessary, Ian could also make his point with a few well-aimed short punches, as Balmain fullback Gary Jack famously found out one afternoon at Leichhardt Oval after he'd had taken a couple of cheap shots at Mathew Ridge, our Manly fullback.

I can still hear former Wallabies coach Allan Jones screaming at me from his coach's box saying what dirty players I coached. Obviously Alan had missed his fullback smacking Ridge from behind.

Roberts definitely wasn't a dirty player. In fact he was a champion and one of the most respected players in the Winfield Cup.

But his philosophy was that actions speak louder than words - and I'm expecting some of that from Mason tomorrow because it is put up or shut up time. Mason may suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder but he sure knows how to set a series alight. So look out for the return serve. This isn't game set and match to David Kidwell and the Kiwis.

Much has been made of Mason's comments during the haka and the crunching hit delivered by Kidwell. Those comments, while unfortunate, should be taken with a grain of salt.

It's about time we had a few characters in test footy and Mason is certainly larger than life. I'm confident it wasn't his intention to insult the tradition of the haka. He probably wanted to get his own message across, that he wasn't intimidated at all. Mason has a right to his own style and it would be a mistake for the Kiwis to get too precious about Mason, as there are far more important things that require their focus.

The pity about Mason's comments is that they weren't delivered a couple of days before the game, when they might have ensured a full house. The Kiwis deserved and needed to play in front of a full house of 24,000 at Mt Smart. Playing at home is supposed to be an advantage. Even though Melbourne's Telstra Dome is in an Aussie Rules city, I'm picking a sell-out. And for that you can thank Mason and Kidwell.

I get the impression Kiwis coach Brian McClennan and Australia's Ricky Stuart are both looking for an edge in the mind games that are part of test football. But my advice to 'Bluey' is: don't get involved. This is test footy and the field is the place to sort things out, not in the media.

I noticed he was pretty upbeat in his comments after the first test, and another coach who should be happy is Ivan Cleary at the Warriors. Young Warriors centre Simon Mannering was one of the Kiwis' best, delivering a very mature game from loose forward, and his performance gives Cleary another great option next year.

A mouth-watering prospect would be to see Mannering bursting onto a short pass, two or three wide of the ruck. His gallant 75m chase after Mark Gasnier's interception showed he has the speed to cause major problems for Australia if he is given the opportunities. But because he could prove to be a genuine game breaker, it is important the edge isn't taken off him by overworking him in defence or hit-up plays.

Bluey was oozing confidence, maybe because the Kiwis handled the intensity so well despite lacking match fitness. It was a solid performance but there is a lot to work on to retain the Tri-Nations Trophy.

* There was a distinct breakdown of communication between Kiwi wingers and their inside men but, to me, the problems started further in - at the marker defence. The markers are the key and, if they do not chase out hard around the ruck at anything in a green and gold jumper, too much pressure is placed on the outside men.

* The Kiwis were sucked in around the ruck area with simple, short passing raids, and this put the defensive line in chaos at times. The Kiwis could be exploited on the flanks in Melbourne if they rely on using such a compressed defence.

* The up-and-in defence employed by the Kiwis is all well and good, but ask any old-timer what a winger should do on defence and the answer will be clear - stay on your man, son. The Kiwi wingers didn't and that is one of the main reasons they were beaten. To successfully apply a compressed defence, the wingers need to show more confidence in those inside them.

* There is also work to be done on attack, where the Aussies didn't face too many threatening options. Most of the Kiwis hadn't played for about six weeks so, overall, it was a pretty good performance. But the Kiwis were far too flat in attack, particularly within 30m of Australia's goal-line, and therefore had very little going on out wide. The intercept try by Gasnier off a flat pass from Stacey Jones illustrates the point. Jones needed a choice of receivers so that he could keep the defence in two minds. Instead his only option was a flat, lob pass which was all too easy for the Aussies to pick off.

* Bluey was critical of Australia being allowed to move up too quickly in defence and may have a point. But, in attack, I thought the Kiwis were their own worst enemy. No matter how quickly the defence can move up, if the attack comes from deep enough it can be lethal. The reason Karmichael Hunt was so dangerous was that he was usually part of a second-man play and coming from a deep position.

* The over-use of one out hit-up plays on attack could play into Australia's hands. The Kiwis must use all their skill and not waste tackles.