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New Zealand have taken a big step towards playing a home final after defeating Australia by 18 points.
After a poor opening couple of minutes, the Kiwis eventually hit their stride upfront and simply outmuscled the Kangaroos.
Australia were poor with their handling. Not up to their high standards. The Kiwis pack very strong. Johnson and Foran composed.
Signs looking good for NZ. Australia with plenty of work to do against an England side fancying their chances of causing another upset.
FINAL SCORE:
Australia 12
New Zealand 30
New Zealand will fancy their chances of causing the upset when they clash against Australia in the opening match of the 2014 Four Nations. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:30pm AEDT.
The Kangaroos Four Nations squad has been rocked by the withdrawal of key superstars Billy Slater, Jarryd Hayne and Jonathon Thurston.
Hayne withdrew from the squad and rugby league all together to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. Slater and Thurston meanwhile will miss the Four Nations because of injury.
Despite their absence, the Kangaroos still possess a very strong squad headlined by NRL greats Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis.
Very talented young stars such as Dylan Walker, Josh Mansour, Daniel Tupou and Daly Cherry-Evans have all been chosen to stake their claim for a permanent starting spot for Australia when they face a strong New Zealand side tonight.
With Thurston injured, Cherry-Evans will get first crack at halfback against New Zealand due to his previous Origin experience. He will be keen to hit the ground running to keep Broncos halfback Ben Hunt at bay come the big matches.
As for New Zealand, the Kiwis have picked a squad that on paper should pose a real threat against Australia. Peta Hiku, Jason Taumalolo, Dean Whare, Kieran Foran and Shaun Johnson are all supremely talented footballers that should ask the Kangaroos defence plenty of questions.
The late withdrawal of Penrith star Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is a blow given the great potential he showed for the Panthers this season. Manu Vatuvei will most likely replace him on the wing.
There is plenty to look forward if you are a Kiwi fan. Taumalolo in particular began establishing himself as one of the most destructive forwards in the NRL late in the season for the Cowboys and will add some much needed X-factor to the Kiwi pack.
In an open game of football, the absence of Thurston, Slater and Hayne may just allow the Kiwis to cause the upset, particularly if Johnson can manage to play the percentages well.
New Zealand by 6.