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Kangaroos vs Kiwis: Six talking points from the Four Nations final

20th November, 2016
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Australia reclaimed the Four Nations trophy from New Zealand. (AAP Image/Tony McDonough)
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20th November, 2016
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Australia has taken out the 2016 Four Nations with a convincing 34-8 win over New Zealand this morning in the tournament final at Anfield.

Four tries in the first half against a slow-starting Kiwi outfit was enough to push the New Zealanders on the back foot and keep them there for the rest of the game.

A much tighter second stanza eased the pain a touch for New Zealand who were able to get some points on the board and hold it to a 10-8 second 40, but Australia never looked like losing the game.

An undefeated campaign for the Kangaroos ended with plenty of tries, talking points and a big new trophy for the cabinet.

Here are six of those talking points.

England aren’t too bad at hosting
Despite being in the midst of the EPL season and the Spring Tour of rugby union in full motion, the English still managed to draw a packed house to the Four Nations final despite the home side not being in the game.

Rugby League is certainly not the number one sport in the country, but the final was well orchestrated and had plenty of local support.

England’s team may not have had the best of tournaments, but they played the host quite well in the end.

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Anfield pitch only 91 metres?
English grounds have famously shallow in goal areas for Rugby League, an issue that reared it’s head on multiple occasions throughout the World Cup in 2013, causing a few injuries as players slid into the advertising boards.

Even if the in goal areas are a little short, should the whole pitch be nearly ten metres shy of normal?

Is that allowed?

Anfield, the famous home of Liverpool in the EPL, was measured out to be just 91 metres in length for the final. An international sporting finale and the ground was the wrong size? It’s an odd thing to happen.

Phil Gould hates Jordan Kahu for some reason
I’m not sure what Jordan Kahu has done to Phil Gould in the past, but he was on the receiving end of some good old fashioned Gus criticism multiple times before and during the game.

As the teams were being announced before the game, Gould was quick to point out his displeasure of Kahu at fullback, comparing him to his opposite number Darius Boyd and being described as a poor attacking option.

Early in the contest, Gus chipped in again, saying that Kahu just wasn’t suited to the modern fullback role and doesn’t know how to perform as a playmaking fullback in the backline.

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After Australia’s second try, even though Boyd’s role in the play was a simple draw and pass, Gus was straight off on a tangent about how Kahu can’t make plays like that because he’s not a good attacking fullback like Boyd.

It may not have been intentional, but Gould constantly berated Kahu throughout the pregame and during the match. It just came across as vindictive as he continued to point out his flaws.

Johnson runs the show for NZ
Shaun Johnson had a strange game for the Kiwis. He made plenty of mistakes but was a standout in the contest at the same time and a shining light amidst a pretty dull performance.

One thing for sure was that he ran the New Zealand side. He was making everything happen, setting up line breaks, making them himself and completely overshadowing his partner in the halves.

He was the only one looking likely to fight back against the Australians in the first half as the Kangaroos ran rampant over a hapless Kiwi defence.

Penalty goals making a resurgence
On two separate occasions in the first half, despite carrying all the momentum in the world and picking up penalties deep in attacking territory, Australia went for the shot on goal instead of the try.

It wasn’t like the contest was tight and points were hard to come by. They could have very easily had six instead of two, but both times they barely hesitated before taking the two points despite already having a decent lead.

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It’s a mentality that’s been strong in any Wayne Bennett coached teams and has seen the penalty goal become more and more common in the NRL in recent times.

It’s not a bad thing, it was just a weird choice to take when a two-point play was near redundant at the time.

Australia has to be World Cup favourites for next year
The Kangaroos pretty much walked through this competition on their way to an undefeated Four Nations victory.

This tournament is the second biggest on the planet behind the World Cup in rugby league and is just about the best gauge for form and predictions you can get.

With the World Cup around 12 months away and being held in Australia’s own backyard alongside co-hosts New Zealand and PNG, it’s very difficult to see anyone seriously challenging them for the title especially after this performance.

Honorable mention: Freddie’s moustache
What is that? Brad Fittler’s moustache is a shocker. Nothing he says on the panel can be taken seriously with that bit of last week’s vegemite stuck on his top lip.

It is, I imagine and hope, for the Movember foundation and raising awareness for a good cause, but I hope it doesn’t stick around beyond November.

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