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The Kangaroos have returned to competitive action in Australia thanks to a comfortable 38-12 win over Samoa, with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow lighting up the international stage with a fantastic solo try.
The Dolphins star was in the Samoan squad 12 months ago but made just one appearance at the World Cup, before catching fire in the NRL, wowing in Origin and now starring on Kangaroos debut.
Australia had cruised to a 22-6 lead and were heading towards half time when the Hammer struck, weaving between multiple defenders to race 80m to the line.
“We had a great start, obviously,” said coach Mal Meninga. “The players had a great week together and that first 25 minutes was excellent.
“Him and Kotoni (Staggs) were really good in the centres. They took advantage of opportunities – we’ve seen Hammer with the footy in space and it’s see you later, he’s an excitement machine.”
The centre’s try ended the game as a contest, not that anyone told Samoa. They had been steamrollered early, conceding four tries in the opening 16 minutes, but fought back hard and, by the start of the second half, were threatening to give the Kangaroos an almighty shock.
Their star was also a debutant, Sua Faalogo, who almost announced himself to the world with an equally stunning individual effort, only for the Bunker to cruelly strip him of the score.
The decision, which was correct, punctured the comeback and almost immediately, Tabuai-Fidow scored at the other end.
“I thought young Sua at fullback was one of the highlights of the game,” said Samoa coach Ben Gardiner.
“He backs himself. It doesn’t matter if you’ve played a Test match, an NRL game or 200 NRL games, everyone here is equal, you do your best, you’re representing your country and it’s a Test match, so you put your best foot forward.
“That’s him. That’s his style and that’s how he goes about his business. I didn’t expect too much else from him tonight.”
Australia’s opening couldn’t have gone any better. First Payne Haas, then James Tedesco, then Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and finally Cam Murray scored, with the two front-rowers far too much for Samoa early on.
For all that Meninga complained about Murray Taulagi’s defection to today’s opponents, it was telling that the two front-rowers, plus Tabuai-Fidow, were the best on ground – and all are eligible for Toa Samoa but chose Australia. Staggs, who scored a late clincher, also picked his side over Tonga.
It was shock and awe from the Kangaroos, who dominated the ball, scored, then got it back. Samoa had no answer to the go-forward and, for a while, it looked like the game would be a total non-event.
Much as the credit might go to Haas and Fa’asuamaleaui – and it should – there should also be plenty for Ben Hunt.
The hooker kicked early on the Kangaroos’ first set, setting the tone for his control of the tempo, and had a hand in three of the first four tries.
It wasn’t all plain sailing. The issues that Meninga has had with his wingers were far from resolved, with Selwyn Cobbo well below his best. The Broncos flyer was left flat-footed by Murray Taulagi for a first half try and might have been caught out on other occasions.
Dylan Edwards was quiet, and while he did his typical yardage work, there was an early error that New Zealand might well attempt to recreate.
By the end of the half, Samoa had returned the possession stats to something like parity and were having a fair amount of success, only for the Hammer to strike.
Samoa, surprisingly, were let down by their middle defence, which struggled badly to contain the Kangaroos pack, with Haas and Fa’asuamaleaui dominant with tackle busts, quick rucks and offloads.
The centre of the field has historically been one of their strongest areas, and their defence there formidable throughout the World Cup, but it was miles off today. An average set distance of close to 45m for Australia in the first half told the whole story.
There were certainly bright spots. Faalogo, with just one game of NRL behind him, was a revelation at the back with near-perfect handing under pressure and, crucially, the ability to evade the chasers and get his team back onto the front foot.
The confidence flowed from him. Faalogo had the gall to chip and chase over Tedesco for the disallowed try, then executed a perfect bat on under pressure to create the overlap from which Luciano Leilua scored.
Between this game and his first grade debut on the last weekend of the regular season, there is clearly a huge future in front of the fullback.
Stephen Crichton also looked good in the five eighth role and proved a highly effective kicker, though Daejarn Asi was less successful and, often, the chase wasn’t as good as the kick.
From the first quarter onwards, Samoa were a match for the Kangaroos, and indeed, the score between then and Staggs’ try with the last play of the game was 12-10 to the underdogs.
The problem, of course, was that they were already well behind by then. Their hope has to be that they start next week against the Kiwis from the first minute, not the 20th.