But the game changed dramatically in the first 20 minutes after halftime, with Greg Inglis, Matt Scott and Josh Dugan all crossing for the Kangaroos in a withering burst.
From there the match was gone, and the Kiwis could start planning for their third Four Nations final since 2010.
It seems like an almost impossible mission, but the Kiwis might take some solace from similar situations in 2008 and 2010, when heavily favoured Australian sides were upset by New Zealand in tournament deciders.
The Kiwis will also have the advantage of a greater preparation time. They have been able to focus on rest and recovery since Saturday morning, and have had almost 48 hours more preparation time for the final than Australia.
But all that will be negligible, if both sides continue their form of the past month. The Kangaroos have been clinical, ruthless and fully focused for 80 minutes of every match since Perth, which has shown in their results.
In contrast, the Kiwis have been patchy in the extreme, which periods of quality interspersed with passages of below par play. They've been unconvincing on attack and flaky on defence.
A lot of work is needed, with not much time to do it.
The Kiwis continue their preparations in Manchester over the next 24 hours, before transferring to their Liverpool on Tuesday morning (UK time), where they will be based until the final.
Autex - Proud sponsors of New Zealand rugby league since 1981.
