Yet another Test between the Kangaroos and Kiwis, finishing with a familiar tone. With the post-season Test still fresh in the rear-view mirror, here are the major takeaways from the clash.

As we prepare to head into a Four Nations with a subtly eerie tone of uncertainty, the Perth Test provides a useful litmus test of trends, what to expect and maybe what needs to be changed before the tournament kick-offs in England come Saturday.

New Zealand were throughly understrength, again
The narrative surrounding New Zealand that has resurfaced in the last few Tests stands true once again. Regardless of the raw power they boasts across their forward-pack, winning at this level requires class across the park. The pattern of this year’s games, more than ever, confirms this notion – each game has been an arm-wrestle early, contested through the packs before slowly breaking open as the game progresses.

In nearly the exact trajectory of the first match, New Zealand were able to absorb some pressure, even offering some competition once they settled into the match. At the end of the day, competing with a team of the Kangaroos calibre is pretty tough without your best players. Specifically, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Kieran Foran were immensely missed. New Zealand lacked punch from the back and a cool-head who doubles as a strike weapon in attack. It remains difficult to grasp the true potential of this squad until we see it in full flight.

New Zealand were throughly outplayed, again
Regardless of who was or wasn’t available, the game can only be taken on the merits of what took place. This considered, the Kiwis were gutsy, determined and did very well to get back into the flow of the game following some early stumbles. In isolation, that can be seen as a minor success for the Kiwi squad as that is still jelling together. More is needed to come close to competing – not only with the Aussies, but to overcome Bennett’s English squad.

Australia, as usual, are blessed with some unbelievable strike-power on the edges. For opposing teams, the issue centres around breaking down the Australian defensive line, which once again was a wall of solidarity (17 missed tackles compared to 31 for New Zealand). To match that level of point-scoring potential and break down their defensive barrier, the Kiwi attack needs to offer some variance.

Simply put, a total of eight points through two Tests isn’t good enough. On the contrary, only conceding eight points over two games is very impressive. While there were signs of expansive footy, the struggle for territory restricted how often they were able to chance their arm in scoring areas. Reducing turnovers and completing more sets will go a long way to inspiring a victory.

The ‘JT abuse” will continue
An alarming trend emerged through the 2015 NBA playoffs. Anytime Steph Curry would get hot, opposing teams, in fear of how to negate his influence, implemented a strategy to get as physical as possible with the point guard at any chance they were afforded. The Warriors went on to win the title, but the effect of the scheme was not lost. Through 2016 the approach continued – Curry missed significant time through Golden States playoff run with an injury.

The logic being, when someone becomes unguardable what options do you have?

Teams are scared of Johnathan Thurston (for fair reason). Similar to the Curry situation, the hits on Thurston became more frequent towards the backend of this season as teams would employ individual hitmen (or what’s known as the “Beau Scott”) to ensure he knew the consequence of taking the defensive line on. Playing at halfback in the NRL, Thurston is afforded additional protection and can be more selective at the times which he chooses to ball-play within reach of his opponents. Even though he is often found at first-receiver for the kangaroos, plenty of his touches come two or three passes off the ruck, giving the opposing forward pack plenty of time to get up and in his face.

Make no doubt, this isn’t a sustainable tactic – JT is a master of capitalising on out of position defenders. If teams want to push their outside defenders forward they best not miss. If the early signs from the Perth Test are anything to go by, the JT-Cordner left side combination may be the strongest weapon in the Kangaroos arsenal, Cordner loves contact and hits holes better than most back-rowers in the game and JT is still the best playmaker in the game. Either way, expect to see the Thurston hitman tactic throughout the four nations.

Rapana versus Holmes was a stack of fun
Two of the competition’s finest finishers going toe-to-toe was as good as advertised. What makes this match-up so intriguing is the flair each play with, and it was full-throttle attack for the whole 80. Most impressively, both were on debut.

Every time either winger touched the ball their opposing number was their to greet them, and the ferocious energy both bring to the table make that an equation for pure entertainment. Holmes emerged victorious in the match-up, running for 134m and snagging a try and a try-assist for good measure. Both will be hard to displace from the line-ups, however we may not see them on head-to-head next time around because…

Dugan and Ferguson’s spots are in real jeopardy
Once again, both failed to impress. Dugan is a dangerous player, but is not a centre. He struggles to get touches in good positions and isn’t a ball player of any kind. The strengths of his game stem from his rampaging running game and playing in the centres, especially on this team, the question of his value hasn’t been remotely answered.

Dugan (who isn’t a centre!) was thoroughly outplayed by Kata and matched up against Nightingale, Fergs wasn’t able to dominate like he should. While the left side hummed along all night (producing all five tries) every foray down the right flank seemed cramped and uncomfortable. As a combination their strengths are similar, but from the displays so far are not complimentary.

With Mansour (2016 winger of the year, no less) and O’Neil in the wings, there is able depth behind them ready to step in if the average form continues. Meninga has confirmed Mansour will start on the left wing when he returns and following his tremendous, career-best form of the past season it is hard to imagine him not impressing and retaining his spot. Holmes was one of the best on ground in his debut, and is naturally preferred to the right-wing. O’Neil emerged as a strike weapon through the Cowboys playoff run and his origin and finals experience will have him more than prepared for Test footy.

The ‘cruiser boys’ possess immense potential but if their average form continues it could spell the end of their national team combination. They’ll get their shot at redemption against Scotland.

Michael Morgan is not a lock
Two injuries in two Origins playing as a running forward of the bench.

An average showing in the first Test taking only six runs for 57m.

Two mistakes in his first 15 mins and afforded minimal space to use his pace.

Morgan is a phenomenal athlete and an elite, damaging ball runner, however he hasn’t been able to properly utilise his speed advantage through the middle, and at time the combination of size, physicality and workload seems to get the best of him. It may finally be time to put the “Michael Morgan; running forward” plan to sleep.

Twilight footy looks great
After moving the grand final back to a regular evening kick-off, it was a refreshing change of pace to return to mid-afternoon for a big-ticket game. There is a specific atmosphere tied that is brought about by this time slot and the dry track provides a great canvas for expansive football.

It’s great to see professionalism on full display
Following all the talk about the standard expected from players on the national team, there was nothing left to be desired following the Perth Test.

The NRL season, time and time again, was a continued display of a step forward followed by leaps backwards. After the swirling controversy and murky stances that were produced by the Fifita incident (and for some reason, the less discussed Radradra debacle), behaviour became a strange, yet intriguing footnote to the international fixtures. If Game 1 was any indicator, there will be no problems here.

Strong sportsmanship is often the misunderstood expectation of professional contact sports, yet Saturday’s Test displayed the perfect balance of intensity, aggression and control.

Truthfully, it may have presented the best example all season. Multiple instances of reckless misconduct (see, Hargreaves) that would have unsettled and often erupted matches were treated with caution and care for the safety of players. It’s a nice example to see players lifting one another off the ground when play is dead and ensures the game is contested in good spirits. Hopefully this continues through the entire four nations and seeps through to the premiership next season.

The jury’s still out on Coach Mal
Mal Meninga is one hell of a mentor and motivator. However, so far he has been blessed to oversee squads he doesn’t need to ‘coach’ per se. The Maroons, which he coached to an unbelievable (and historic) nine wins from ten series, were a model of consistency and continuity. They were blessed with elite talent at every position and possessed at least three of the top-10 players of all time (and arguably more). These teams were known more for their talent, character and late-game heroics rather than blitzing plays.

Not to be confused, Meninga was the correct, and truly deserving selection for Australian coach. Foremost, his genuine respect and belief for the Australian jersey has had an instant impact over the approach of the squad. The international setup is different. The squad to pick from is much larger. There will be more rotation simply due to form, among other reasons. The players are not as familiar with one another, combinations aren’t quite as developed and so the structure implied by the coach plays a more integral role than teams he has overseen in the past.

Problem is, the structure looks rubbish. Multiple times through the broadcast, Phil Gould commented on how poor the Australian attacking formation looked and questioned what they were working towards as a collective. Leaving your opinions of Gould at the door, there is no denying the man knows football and that’s not exactly an endearing recommendation. Game 1 didn’t leave any kind of lasting imprint, but being his first game in charge, that’s understandable and dismissed. Game 2 was more of the same. The Four Nations is a real chance for Mal to leave his mark on a team that is screaming for their collective talents to be harnessed into a rolling beast.

The ‘two-on-one strip’ is an outdated rule
How often is the most called penalty in rugby league called correctly?

Simply, it no longer makes any sense. Physicality is the foundation in which tight football games are built – players running the ball are going to ground fighting and those defending them are wrestling and struggling for every yard. When the contact is mutual, it seems unnecessary to presume a foul has been committed. The strip rule has brought about a sense of offensive entitlement among attacking teams – when the ball comes free there is general assumption a penalty should come their way.

Furthermore, second-phase play (especially at the international level) is outright deadly, so the attacking players are attempting to get the ball free at any given opportunity. The outcome? An attempt to leverage to strip rule to gain a slight advantage. If there wasn’t enough pressure on officials already, expecting 100 per cent on calls when three hulking men are grouped together is almost absurd. Not to mention, when there is a clear strip its nearly 50/50 to whether or not its picked up.

Something for the suits to monitor through the tournament.

Second phase is the name of the game
This is aimed at both sides. The most dangerous either attack looked was when they let that ball move. Let if fly boys.

Two referees is the right choice
There were missed calls, it happens, get over it. When faced with split second calls, Matt ‘chicken legs’ Cecchin did his job. He is an NRL referee and isn’t adjusted to being in positions to make ruck calls on his own.

What does that tell us? All the talk about removing the secondary referee is unnecessary. Allow this game to serve as exhibit A as to what will take place if that change occurs. Two is better than one.

Discipline will cost you
Points come from mistakes, this isn’t new. The Kiwis made way too many mistakes coming out of their own half. Quality teams have an uncanny ability to persevere through their sets against momentum – considering size of the New Zealand backs, they need to be better in the department. Patience in working from their own territory was basically non-existent, and things didn’t really improve down the other end – the fifth-play options were poor. Shaun Johnson is electric, but space is necessary to run the ball to any kind of danger.

Giving away penalties only compounds these problems and piggy-backing the Kangaroos down your end is a combination that results in getting played out of the game early, which is exactly what took place. While the error count finished in favour of New Zealand, this was skewed by some late game experiments that can be afforded when the game is out of reach.

The next generation is ready
There was a real sense of refreshment within the international ranks. The aforementioned Rapana and Holmes battle was outstanding, and they weren’t alone. Not only were the debutants outstanding (namely Tyson Frizell who changed the game from the bench) all the players relatively new to the international scene looked fantastic.

Looking forward, watch Te Maire Martin, the Panthers half who burst onto the scene earlier this year before succumbing to a season-ending injury. Kidwell has indicated he intends to give Martin time in the No.6 jumper and he is a genuine game-breaker. Will be interesting to see how much influence the many exciting young prospects have over the results.

Free the Kiwi game breakers!
Kata, Tapau, Johnson, and Taumololo just to name a few. This team is oh so stacked with weapons that make the defence nervous. These four in particular all showed flashes of their damaging running games and need to see more quality ball attacking the opponents try-line. The platform wasn’t set often enough for the stars to shine and it restricts the effect of style New Zealand play when they are at their best. For the Kiwis to fire, as per usual, the hope lies specifically with Shaun Johnson. For the Kiwis to win the four nations Johnson needs to be at his tantalising best. His combination with Proctor on the right is especially deadly (produced the only points for NZ) and will need to be explored more often.