League: Kiwis bear weight of expectation

Strength of squad and issues affecting our arch rivals allow fans the thrilling realisation that Kiwis are the ones to beat. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand expects. Not hopes. Not prays. Expects. Expects this Kiwis team to deliver.

Sure, this nation has had it's league triumphs of late; 2005 and 2008 were golden years, but they came out of the blue. The Kiwis caught the English and Australians napping, ambushed them and walked off with the silverware.

This time there will be no ambush. Because while New Zealanders expect a side chock-full of prime NRL talent - and Wigan's champion halfback Thomas Leuluai - to deliver the goods, the Kiwis' strength hasn't escaped the notice of England and Australia.

Those nations aren't talking the Kiwis up out of a sense of duty. They're genuinely worried.

"It's nice for a change but just because [people] pick us doesn't mean it is going to happen," captain Benji Marshall says to a suggestion that a bunch of pundits are picking his side to win the Four Nations.

"And just because it is a stronger squad we have picked it is not going to happen automatically. We realise that so we have been working pretty hard. It hasn't been an easy ride. We realise the expectations and we are building towards a great campaign."

It's a sign of just how well the Kiwis are building that Marshall's influence no longer appears so crucial. In the past a Marshall spectacular has often seemed the only way the Kiwis could overcome the odds that have been stacked against them. Not so any more. Issac Luke and Leuluai are more than capable of producing telling plays, the propping rotation is packed with ball-playing ability, the edge-running back rowers are lethal, the Beast is waiting on one wing and the premiership-winning flier Jason Nightingale on the other.

This is more than just the Benji show. Much more.

"I've never felt that was the case [anyway]," Marshall said. "Everyone has got a job to do in our team, that's why they've been picked.

"If everyone does their job it goes a long way towards a team winning. My role as a half is to direct the team around and that is what I am going to do."

The lack of emphasis on Marshall is timely. In the past he has been guilty of overplaying his hand. For the Tigers this season he picked his moments, the sign of a maturing talent.

"I think I have built my game this year around picking the right times and if that time comes up this week then I will try to do something. But we have got 16 other players on the field who have got to do their job as well.

"I'd like to think I've matured. Being thrown in as captain of the Kiwis last year really woke me up to taking things for granted. I really feel like I've matured a lot, especially over the last 12 months."

The plight of the England team and the rash of injuries to a host of superstar Australians has only added to the level of expectation surrounding the Kiwis.

The English are a fickle beast at the best of times. Last year they beat the Kiwis in Huddersfield to reach the final. Beat them well. But that England side contained Jamie Peacock and Adrian Morely in the pack, rising star Kyle Eastmond at halfback and livewire centre Chris Bridge in the backline. None of those players are here this year. This isn't the best of times for England.

Australia, too, have had some big-name casualties - Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis and Jarryd Hayne, to name but three superstars.

But the Kangaroos are uniquely placed to deal with such a blow to their resources. In come the likes of Cooper Cronk and Todd Carney to plug the gaps.

There's no such thing as a weak Kangaroos team, only degrees of strong, such as "very", "extremely" or "incredibly". So Marshall is right. It won't just happen for the Kiwis. But that doesn't make being optimistic any less enjoyable. It's nice to have the chance.