The Newcastle Test is in the books. The Kangaroos were professional, yet unimpressive in squeezing out a 16 point victory in an off-kilter, back and forth affair that was a real arm-wrestle of a game.

New Zealand failed to capitalise on any decent opportunities, and really struggled in building towards them. The Kangaroos weren’t much better on that front, however they certainly were more clinical and at least managed to seize a few point-scoring chances and get on the board.

Without further ado, let’s look at how each player fared.

Australia

1. Darius Boyd – 8.3
His usual sensible self, Boyd was safe at the back, picking his spots and making sure the Australian sets got off to the right start. An impressive 18 carries to go with 188 metres, a line break, a try assist and a try highlighted a successful move to the No. 1 jersey.

Unflustered by any kicks coming his way and consistently made the best decision with ball in hand, Darius was able to display all of the under-the-radar skills he has perfected to compliment his teammates.

2. Semi Radradra – 7
A strange combination of debutant nerves and a bit of guilt for trying a little too hard, too early. Was very lucky that his early professional foul was protected by his team’s defence. Settled into the match well and ended up producing some fantastic moments. Overall, an encouraging debut.

3. Greg Inglis – 7.3
An 80-minute extended cut of what he’s showed us in club land all year. Some near misses and solid moments sprinkled across a relatively uninspiring effort. Still looked a threat with ball in hand and space to work with and 183m gained were all effective. Always dangerous in the centres.

4. Josh Dugan – 6.4
It’s not often that Dugan runs for less than 100m. In fact, you would have to go back to Round 2 this year to find such a performance, so his 98m speaks volumes. Questions which surround whether or not Dugan is as effective out in the centers weren’t answered, nor were they proven true. Dugan filled his role requirements without giving much extra.

5. Blake Ferguson – 8.3
The most criticised selection in the Australian squad answered his critics, following up his form-reversing hat-trick effort last outing with another strong performance. Kept himself busy with 17 runs off the wing for 142 metres, and added a line-break and a try for good measure.

Justified his selection however you want to cut it, and has done himself no harm in cementing his return to the Origin arena.

6. Johnathan Thurston – 7.3
A “through-the-motions” performance for the general. Never overextended his hand or took any risks that could jeopardise his team’s field position, although this completion approach did lead to an uncharacteristic inability to finish in the final third of the field.

It is somewhat surprising, with so many opportunities in try-scoring range, that JT and co were unable to produce more threatening situations. Thurston struggled to find open ground with his early kicks, but once Cooper Cronk found some rhythm with the boot the Roos kicking game improved. Made a typically instinctual line-break in the clutch moments of the game that proved to be the final push to finish off the Kiwis.

7. Cooper Cronk – 7.5
Clinical in his execution, Cronk came up with some pin-point kicks and playmaking decisions whenever the Kiwis were on the brink of turning the momentum. Needs to take the line on more then he did but did well in steering the forwards around the field.

Really did show his elite kicking game at different points throughout and was only just stopped from scoring a really nice try in the second half from his work.

8. Matt Scott – 8.6
Part of the four-man front row contingent which set a fantastic platform over the New Zealand pack. Individually, Scott was outstanding carrying the ball out of his own end with vigour. A classic Scott performance.

9. Cameron Smith (c) – 9.1
Got through solid work in defence (46 tackles, no misses) and got his middle men moving forward sensationally, as shown by all four props running for more than 130m. A real skipper’s effort, Smith provided what was necessary for his side by getting the whole team moving forward without taking up too much time with the ball in his hands.

Even with New Zealand clearly trying to nullify his running game (only four runs) he still managed to get his forwards over the advantage line. World class.

10. Paul Gallen – 8.5
Handed best on-field at the conclusion of the game, it was clear Gallen was really trying to turn in an inspired effort in the green and gold to prove his representative worth, and he did just that. Gallen took a game-high 21 hit-ups for 228 gained metres (also game-high). Combined well with Scott to nullify the Kiwi pack.

11. Josh Papalii – 6.1
Was in an unfavourable match-up against the fleet-footed Kevin Proctor and the performance was exactly as expected. Papalii struggled to sink his teeth into the game, only running for 53 metres and made just 19 tackles in more than a half of footy.

Failed to provide any kind of attacking presence in the final third and when the ball did find its way to him near the line a couple times, he was largely ineffective. Better performances are on the horizon.

12. Matt Gillett – 6.3
Similar to his back row partner, the usually explosive Gillett provided no real threat to the New Zealand goal-line and was strangely absent when the ball did find it’s way out to the back row.

13. Corey Parker – 7.2
Not at his usual busy best, the presence of a certain other lock playing in the front row took up his usual space. Still managed over 100m from only 12 runs and looked good going forward when he was able to get involved.

Interchange
14. Josh McGuire – 8.6
A really solid debut. Came on, got stuck in and made a real impact. 131m in only 30 minutes of action is very good and McGuire really helped the Roos. The first chapter in what’s shaping as the future of the Australian prop jersey.

15. Michael Morgan – 7.5
The extra two interchanges definitely meant the forwards were fresher and the game stayed tight, so Morgan had very little impact outside of a regular stint. Still got involved as much as he could throughout his 34 minutes on the field, popping in wherever he could to be the extra man or put his hand up for the footy. A real footballer.

16. James Tamou – 8.8
Towering effort from the Cowboys prop. Changed the shape of the game as soon as he entered it with multiple 15-metre runs and kept churning the yards out. Outstandingly efficient in his 32 minutes, Tamou gained 134m made legitimate use of the football every time it was in his hands. A statement performance from a star forward.

17. Sam Thaiday – 7.9
The NRL’s best bench player showed how he has adapted his game at this new stage of his career. Given the most minutes off the bench with 47, Slamin’ Sam kept his work tidy and got stuck into his job. Managed 10+ metres every time he touched the footy.

New Zealand

1. Jordan Kahu – 7.3
Kahu’s first game at fullback in the Kiwi uniform was a showcase of the skills he usually brings to the wing. Kahu was safe, assured and measured for the entire game without ever being brilliant. Produced the goods with 11 crucial tackles and countless try saving plays including a shot that stopped Randradra on the line. Better suited to the wing for representative honours, but was commendable nonetheless.

2. Jason Nightingale – 6.6
Worked hard to get involved in the middle chunk of the match, running for 115m on the night, the second-most for New Zealand. In spite of this, he failed to provide any kind of threatening attacking work and his didn’t offer much outside of safe hands and strong positional play. Didn’t get much wrong, but it does seem that his run in the Test arena is coming to an end soon.

6. Tohu Harris – 6.8
The pseudo back-rower turned five-eighth who was shifted to centre put his best foot forward in the situation handed to him. Reliant on his versatility, the makeshift three-quarter had himself a solid night, and at the very least did plenty to disrupt Dugan’s night with a solid defensive effort. Can’t wait to see his impact on a full strength team.

4. Gerard Beale – 7.3
11 runs for 84 metres with 16 tackles and the lone miss spells out a game of consistency for Beale, so in that sense it was a success. He did little in the way of breaking open the game though.

5. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak – 5.9
Finally making his Test debut, it oddly felt a little too soon. Watene-Zelezniak looked nervous in the opening exchanges and reverted back to his rookie self, looking insecure with the ball in tight areas. His shakiness resulted in a poor dropped ball coming out of his own half. A true debut and one to forget.

14. Kodi Nikorima – 6.3
The talented utility was slated to fill his usual role of playing through the middle to late stages of the game, and it’s safe to say he would have been much more suited to doing exactly that. Admittedly Nikorima didn’t get any quality space to work with the ball, and really tried to involve himself at different times.

7. Shaun Johnson – 6.7
The biggest consequence of the playmaker absence in New Zealand was that Johnson was forced to shoulder the entire offensive load, a role he both strives and struggles with. Johnson looked uneasy as he attempted to puncture holes in the Australian defence, not that there were any to be found.

His kicking game could and really should be better; many of his long-range attempts struggled to find grass, and shorter efforts rolled dead in crucial situations. His running game is his calling card and only 11m gained means he needs to be better if this team is to perform at a higher level.

8. Jesse Bromwich (c) – 8.7
Bromwich has unquestionably attained all the skills of an elite big man. The “do-as-I-do” leader got involved as much as possible, keeping himself busy for 58 minutes. Could definitely use more of the footy – he only had 13 hit-ups – but helps get the team moving forward by getting over the advantage line frequently from the first receiver slot. A great start to his New Zealand captaincy.

9. Lewis Brown – 5.8
Playing hooker, not a hooker, Lewis Brown did the most he could in a limited position. The intent was right solely due to the lack of options, but without any kind of go-forward, he often isolated his forwards into multiple Kangaroo defenders and provided very few quality balls for anyone behind him to play off. Was solid in defence, with 30 tackles to his name.

10. Adam Blair – 6.0
Despite what seemed like a hefty involvement, the in-form Blair managed only five hit-ups. Often too content with letting the first receiver pass fly whether or not his man was in a better position to run the football than him or not. Tackled well and made a few big efforts on his own line, however, the Kiwis’ front row was outplayed, and Blair has to shoulder some of the responsibility for that.

11. Kevin Proctor – 7.4
Highlighted as a key weapon against Australia’s edge defence, Proctor put his hand up with a team-high 17 carries, yet managed to only get 94 metres – an average of five metres per run. Proctor failed, albeit in limited opportunity, to threaten the Australian line. His sub-par offensive output aside, Proctor did absolutely shut down his apposing number (45 tackles), making sure Papalii was well-contained.

12. Manu Ma’u – 7.9
The rampaging back-rower came out determined to impact the game, and like Proctor managed to receive very little amount of quality ball. Was damaging with the ball and really did attempt to get involved. On the other side of equation, Ma’u displayed his lockdown defensive skill shutting down superstar Gillett, getting up in his space each and every carry to the tune of 36 tackles without a miss.

13. Jason Taumalolo – 8.2
The brightest running forward in the game was efficient in his 47 minutes of game time, making sure to stay involved. In his return to the Test arena, Taumalolo churned out 124 hard-earned metres in 14 runs. Was not at the top his own game tonight, but will be devastating at the back of this pack when the Kiwis get back to full strength.

Interchange
15. Greg Eastwood – 5.9
A past performer on the big stage, Eastwood looked behind the pace when he was finally given some game-time and wasn’t left out there long. A strong example of how current club form can be a barometer for representative performance, Eastwood couldn’t find a way to contribute in any important way.

16. Martin Taupau – 6.9
Taupau got lost between trying to set a foundation for his team and attempting to run over the top of players. His running stats will continue to grow, and while 77m in 42 minutes isn’t terrible, it’s not going to change the game at the international level.

17. Sam Moa – 8.1
A veteran performance and, save for a late hit on Thurston, was clinical in joining the Kiwi arm wrestle. Got through more than 100m in 35 minutes and added 21 tackles, a very efficient addition off the pine. Deserved more minutes and made the absolute most of the ones he was given. Wasn’t on the level of the shining Australian prop rotation but wasn’t far off.

21. Kenny Bromwich – 4.9
Bromwich, unfairly to him, was put in a pretty rough spot as the makeshift back-up hooker, which was clearly an assignment way over his skill-set. Was completely out of position, so this falls on the selection and coaching team, but not a good showing from Bromwich.