2 years ago
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Kangaroos manager Mal Meninga believes New Zealand volition usage their mediocre 4th last show arsenic "motivation" to prevail implicit Australia successful their semi last clash astatine the Rugby League World Cup.
New Zealand confirmed a final-four showdown with Australia this Saturday greeting successful Leeds, lone aft surviving a large scare from Fiji successful its 4th last past week.
A precocious effort from Jordan Rapana sealed a come-from-behind 24-18 triumph for the Kiwis.
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New Zealand came into the World Cup arsenic the No.1 Test nation contempt winning conscionable 14 of the past 28 Tests the squad has played since 2015.
However, Meninga said the question marks surrounding the Kiwis volition lone marque the broadside much unsafe arsenic the players volition person a constituent to beryllium against Australia.
"They astir apt got an awakening and it would've knocked their information backmost into spot astir the tournament," helium said.
"Without being disrespectful, it's been a reasonably casual thrust for the apical teams successful this tourney and that (Fiji game) astir apt made them realise they needed to knuckle down and get acceptable for this [semi final].
"I'd beryllium utilizing it arsenic information and if I were a player, I'd privation to play to the champion of my quality (after past week) and everyone has to.
"We are nether nary illusion to the situation that's successful beforehand of us, they've got a truly bully footy squad who volition privation to play well."
Australia's skipper James Tedesco suspected New Zealand had overlooked the No.6-ranked Fijians.
"They were astir apt looking to this crippled alternatively of focusing connected that crippled and they weren't astatine their best, but I cognize 100 per cent they'll beryllium acceptable to spell this week," helium said.
"We're expecting them to travel retired acold and beryllium astatine their best, for sure.
"It's going to beryllium our hardest situation truthful acold and it's going to beryllium an 80-minute crippled for us."
Meninga named his 19-player squad connected Wednesday but had already confirmed earlier successful the week that demoted halfback Daly Cherry-Evans would not marque the last line-up against the Kiwis.
After being rested, Ben Hunt has been recalled and volition commencement astatine hooker with the program to power him retired for Harry Grant erstwhile the rough-and-tumble opening stages of the crippled are over.
Recovering from a hamstring complaint, Reagan Campbell-Gillard has besides been recalled for Australia to commencement astatine prop.
"[Campbell-Gillard] is the person of the pack," Meninga said.
"He's looking guardant to playing, helium got unlucky the week before. He's an important cog successful our guardant pack, helium brings that aggression for us."
Tedesco backed Campbell-Gillard to assistance incorporate New Zealand's formidable guardant battalion which includes NRL enforcers Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Joseph Tapine, and antheral upland Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
"Reg is simply a monolithic in, helium had a immense twelvemonth for Parramatta," helium said.
"He's conscionable a person that goes guardant and erstwhile helium carries the shot it makes everyone privation to transportation arsenic hard arsenic him.
"He leads by illustration and we missed him, but the Kiwis' battalion is precise beardown and it's not conscionable connected Reg, it's up to our full battalion to basal up to them and spell aft them."
Tedesco besides acknowledged that captaining Australia is "the highest honour" of his acclaimed vocation but said it was important not to enactment excessively overmuch unit connected himself.
"I've learned that arsenic captain, particularly astatine Roosters and successful Origin, you tin transportation the value of the squad sometimes," helium said.
"When I bash that it hinders my performance, truthful I've learned implicit the past mates of years that being skipper is conscionable to beryllium myself, play my footy and pb by my actions and my words.
"When I bash that, that's erstwhile I play my champion and the squad follows. I've decidedly learned my acquisition there."
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