Usurped as the number one team on the planet. Condemned to second place for the best part of three years. The best domestic competition that will ever be in the sport, second place on the pecking order.
Are we talking about the same Kangaroos we see play State of Origin in Maroon and Blue? Are we talking about Cooper Cronk, Johnathan Thurston, both multiple time Dally M winners? Are we talking about future immortal Cameron Smith? Are we talking about Darius Boyd and Greg Inglis?
It seems incongruous that these legendary names in the sport could ever be relegated to second when put on the same team, in the same colours, taking on another team.
That’s no disgrace on the Kiwis, English or Scottish either. All of those squads have exceptionally fine players. The Kiwis, in particular, have enjoyed the services of fantastic players like Shaun Johnson, Kieran Foran, Issac Luke and their tremendous forward pack for the last half a decade.
But seriously. Australia – ostracised from the number one spot, their position of dominance and power.
Two years on from the last Four Nations, it’s worth dwelling on just what that swift removal looked like.
A 30-12 drubbing at the hands of a spirited, committed and excellent Kiwi football team left a team of rugby league gods broken. This wasn’t the final. This was the game that broke the Australians’ belief, leading into the game that would see the mantle taken away from the Kangaroos
As much as anything it was a case of power overwhelming. Manu Vatuvei was a monumental force on the edge, but really it was a story of the pack. Two names that stand out from the final and the game that preceded it, Kevin Proctor and Jason Taumalolo. Emerging names at the time, these two took it upon themselves to smash themselves and the opposition to bits by hurling their bodies at the line and at oncoming attackers, time and time again.
The Kiwis of 2014 were known as much for their unrelenting brutality as they were for then capitalising on Shaun Johnson’s brilliance.
Presented with the perfect platform he’d waited his entire NRL career for, Johnson turned from a sometime disappointment to masterful conductor, getting the best out of his unbelievable step and pace while also pushing his teammates into previously unreached heights. It was the Kiwis’ time.
All of this just a year after Australia lifted the Rugby League World Cup for the tenth time in the history of the event, with a demolition of New Zealand in the final.
Revenge for that can’t come in one-off Test matches around Anzac Day. It can’t come in international footy-less months after the NRL in 2015. It has to come at a tournament with meaning.
While for many watching games in an England timezone can be a step too far, you can see in the way Australia has selected, prepared and performed, there’s not a hint of complacency this time.
Johnathan Thurston has been screaming at his teammates, getting them to hustle harder than they did in 2014. Boyd Cordner has been bordering on frightening. The inclusion of Shannon Boyd is an indication of how the Kangaroos are approaching this tournament.
It shows a team that wants to build upon the greats it has by revitalising through personnel and attitude. Greg Inglis is still there. Darius Boyd is still there. But they’re playing better, and they’re being pushed by players with serious claims to their jersey.
You earn your spot. You earn your wins. Having four blokes pile in to hold Shaun Johnson up in the final throes of their initial showdown with the Kiwis showed that. Now it’s time for the men in green and gold to earn back the trophy, and the number one spot in the world.
Because in a world as competitive as professional sport, there is no second. And for Australia there is no success without a Four Nations trophy, which only comes with revenge.
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He wasn't expecting it to get that messy.
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In wet conditions, the Broncos were making it extremely tough for 18-year-old Chevy Stewart in just his second game.
