What happened in Brisbane last night against a team full of legends was close to being beyond belief.
There is no argument now. New Zealand is No1 in league after the Kiwis crushed Australia 26-12 in Brisbane last night.
Dynamic attack in the first half and never-say-die defence in the second sent an Australian team with legendary players in the vital positions to a surprisingly large defeat inthe Anzac fixture.
The Kiwis were still struggling to get across the line as the best team in league's little world despite four big titles in the past decade, including last year's Four Nations triumph. After all, Australia are the official World Cup holders, the Kangaroos were well below full strength when beaten in last year's Four Nations, and the Anzac test has been a Kiwis graveyard since it was introduced in the late 1990s. To put a twist on the sports bet advertising line, gambling responsibly meant never putting cash on the Kiwis for the Anzac duel.
The Kiwis celebrate after winning the Anzac test in Brisbane. Photo / Getty
Not any more. What happened in Brisbane last night was close to being beyond belief because our test league history makes for tough reading for much of the last half century or so. The 1970s turned into a dark hole after an extremely promising beginning. The 1980s had less bright spots than many imagine. The 1990s suggested a healthy future, but the Kiwis and Warriors couldn't deliver and the game went through crazy turmoil. But the new century is finally delivering a new order.
The Kiwis have the necessary class in the four key positions plus the footwork and explosiveness to trample the Kangaroo forwards. Remember, too, that the most damaging running forward in the game, Jason Taumalolo, was missing from this lineup because of injury.
There have been few shock results to match last night's events - Carlaw Park in 1971 and Melbourne 20 years later are among the prized victories. But there is a different feel to what the Kiwis are now doing. The rise of eligible players in the NRL has done the trick at last, turning the national team into reliable winners.
What a triumph for coach Steve Kearney and his team. The lack of a remotely suitable challenger helped Kearney keep his job after the 2013 World Cup debacle. Kearney coached the Kiwis to a World Cup title in 2008 but couldn't shake the aura of his assistant for that campaign, the Aussie legend Wayne Bennett. Kearney is his own man now with plenty to revel over.
Sam Thaiday of Australia looks on after losing the Anzac test. Photo / Getty Images
Not that you would know it. He is an awkwardly humble character and almost looks bewildered in the coaching box when the Kiwis turn on scoring magic. Some people have a poker face but Kearney has a poker body which stays rooted to his chair while others leap about.
Downsides? The radically altered league landscape, with most Kiwi players emerging through clubs across the Ditch, has diluted the them-against-us feel. But a new order is taking a promising shape because the magnificent Australians have been slammed off their perch.
