Getting a first taste for Kangaroo meat

Dean Whare enjoyed a first win over Australia. Photo / Photosport

Kiwis who had tasted victory over Australia were becoming an endangered species before last Saturday.

Although the team have noticeably tried to downplay the 30-12 victory over the Kangaroos, the magnitude and importance of the win in Brisbane can't be underestimated.

In time, it could be regarded alongside the famous 1983 win at Lang Park, which broke a 14-test losing streak against Australia and kick-started a renaissance of New Zealand league.

Before last week, there was precious little winning DNA in the Kiwis camp. Only six players who took the field knew what it was like to beat the Kangaroos, and only eight in the entire 23-man squad.

Plenty of other Kiwis - among them Shaun Johnson, Kieran Foran, Jesse Bromwich, Gerard Beale, Dean Whare and Lewis Brown - had tasted only defeat.

"We always believed we could get a win but it's big to actually do it and sit back and realise how good we can play," Beale said. "We had some close matches but you can't beat actually winning. It's certainly going to give us a confidence boost."

Johnson agrees: "It's massive," he said. "This was the first camp I have been in where I genuinely felt we could beat them. Now [the team have] proof we can back it up. It's going to be massive, especially for those younger boys."

The World Cup final debacle last year probably clouded our judgement but the Kiwis had been getting closer. There was the 20-10 defeat on the Gold Coast in 2011 and two tight matches in 2012 (20-12 at Eden Park and 18-10 in Townsville). The last two Anzac tests have also been close for periods, before the Australians pulled away.

But they were still losing, and the streak, which was in danger of becoming the worst since the tough times between 1991-97, needed to end. Another defeat last week and the Australian dominance, despite all their absences, probably would have rolled on through to the final.

Now there's a new generation of Kiwis who have joined the club, and will have their own 'Remember Suncorp' battle cry to call on in tough times over the next few years. Success on the field is also important to ensure there are more Jason Taumalolos and less James Tamous in the future.

"It's a boost for the guys to show that we can reap some benefits if we put in the work during the week," captain Simon Mannering said.

"The frustration had been building," said Johnson. "You get sick of it. [But only when] we start beating them regularly [will] you start feeling like you have accomplished something. That was the first step."