Entry 11, 13th November
AUSTRALIA 12 NEW ZEALAND 16
An exhausting game was ended in the most exhilarating fashion when Nathan Fien added the finishing touch to a wonderful move. Australia were clinging to a 12-10 advantage two minutes from the end of the game when Kiwi maestro Benji Marshall went down the right. Marshall then fired out an accurate pass. Shaun Kenny-Dowall sent Jason Nightingale free and his inside pass was played at by the Australian defence. Marshall followed up and slipped a speculator over his shoulder for Fein to take the second bounce and cross for a try by the posts.
Marshall who kicked the resulting conversion to tie up a 16-12 win, held the trophy aloft and said, "It means an awful lot to us. We are trying to close that gap. I'd like to thank the New Zealand supporters. To my boys its a pleasure to stand up here and be your captain, we've done a lot of hard work this week."
New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney said, "We were a lot better than we were last week, it was a matter of giving us an opportunity and we did that tonight, I'm so very proud of the guys. Australia are a champion side but we showed some fairly good qualities tonight too. Last week showed us there is still a gap and for me and the NZ RL it's a matter of closing that gap. We did some of that tonight, but it's an ongoing project."
The contest was one of attrition from the start and Australia got away to a better opening when Darren Lockyer slid a grubber kick behind the defence after referee Tony Archer and touch judge James Child missed a foot in touch by wing Brett Morris. Lance Hohaia struggled to take the bounce and Brent Tate followed up to touch down. The conversion from Cameron Smith gave Australia a 6-0 lead and the Kangaroos continued to keep the pressure on New Zealand.
Midway through the first half, Australia were unlucky to lose Luke Lewis with injury just as the second row appeared to be hitting form.
Gradually, New Zealand worked their way into the game with their pack eventually winning field position and their defence tough and uncompromising. It took until just before half-time for the visitors to unlock the Australian defence and it was through that man Marshall. His short pass looked forward but Kenny-Dowall raced through for his skipper to level matters at 6-6.
A short brawl on half-time between a number of players from both teams saw the temperatures rise further prompting the referee to speak with both captains. This masked a further problem for Australia who were forced to play on without Tate in the second half. The centre was inconsolable having suffered a suspected knee problem.
Despite playing with their backs to the wall, it was Australia who struck with a fine try before the hour as they bashed away at the Kiwi defence and then switched the ball down the left for Greg Bird to conjure up an offload to send Billy Slater into space and past a stranded Hohaia. Again Cameron Smith goaled from a difficult position and it was 12-6 to Australia, heading into the final quarter.
Hohaia continued to remain involved for New Zealand, bravely returning kicks and chiming in where possible while the sheer toughness of Jeremy Smith was to be admired. The Kiwis visibly upped their efforts and forced Australia into a number of errors, forcing a drop out and then a succession of penalties that eventually told.
Once again the Australian lock-picker was Marshall as he weighed up the options open to him in the blink of an eye. He put a tremendous grubber kick to the in-goal and Nightingale timed his run to perfection to claim the try. Marshall's conversion attempt looked good until the final second when it struck the post and bounced out.
Still clinging to their slender advantage, Australia tried to close out but Marshall and company had other ideas with a wonderful attack which brought the spectacular team try for Fien to win the Four Nations Trophy.
Australia: Slater; Morris, Tate, Tonga, Tuqiri; Lockyer (captain), Cronk; Scott, Smith, Shillington; Lewis, Thaiday, Gallen. : Learoyd-Lahrs, Bird, Gidley, Myles.
Tries: Tate, Slater
Goals: Smith 2/2
New Zealand: Hohaia; Nightingale, Kenny-Dowall, Mannering, Perrett; Marshall (captain), Fien; McKendry, Leuluai, Blair; Harrison, Matulino, Smith. : Eastwood, Luke, Nuuausala, Manu.
Tries: Kenny-Dowall, Nightingale, Fien
Goals: Marshall 2/3
Attendance: 36,299.
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