Rugby League: Tonight the Kiwi dynasty begins

By Peter Jessup

After years in the wilderness, a long stumble between drinks, the Kiwi league team are about to sip from the silverware on a regular basis.

Tonight's tri-series opener against the Australians is the start of what will be a years-long roll for the Kiwis, a period when they'll compete against the long-dominant Australians on equal footing.

If they don't win tonight it'll be closer than the Anzac scoreline of 20-14. That game was three tries apiece, Mat Rogers' kicking the difference.

If they don't win tonight it will probably be because they lack a specialist kicker.

But whatever the result at Ericsson Stadium, the Kiwis are good enough to beat Great Britain at the same venue in a fortnight and to win the final against either of the other two sides on November 5.

If New Zealand lose to Australia tonight, and there's no good reason they should, they'll learn so much they'll beat the Kangaroos next time. And at the World Cup next year.

It's not because of the Kangaroo retirements of Alf Langer, Steve Renouf, Paul Harragon, Mark Carroll, Laurie Daley or the unavailability through injury of Gorden Tallis, Shane Webcke, Brad Thorn, Andrew Johns and others.

The new caps Australia have will play as hard, with as much skill. The Kiwis might outgun them in test experience but the Aussies regard State of Origin as tougher anyway.

It's because, for once, the Kiwi coach doesn't have a team comprising five real international class players and five more professionals with holes filled from Glenora, Mt Albert and Manukau.

All 20 of the Kiwi squad are hardened pros, all are class acts. Do the old measure of "who from the Kiwis would the Australians pick?" and the answer is no longer "No one."

For once, the Kiwis have four players from the NRL grand final in Melbourne's Stephen Kearney, Matt Rua and Richard Swain, and Dragon Craig Smith; the Aussies have three in Storm players Brett Kimmorley, Robbie Ross and Rodney Howe.

New Zealand also number Nathan Cayless, David Kidwell and Willie Talau who played in the finals series, not forgetting the Paul boys, who were in the England Super League grand final.

Frank Endacott has been building this team for two years, blooding young players like Swain and Rua, Talau, Kidwell and Lesley Vainikolo. The returns are about to come.

The Kiwis have two changes from the side that played the Anzac test - Sean Hoppe and Jarrod McCracken out. The Aussies have nine with Tallis, Webcke and Langer, Daley, Johns, Matt Sing, Steve Price, Glenn Lazarus and Robbie Kearns out. Which just goes to show the incredible depth the Kangaroos can call on.

It will be good for the game if the Kiwis can roll Australia regularly, if the fans expect a 50/50 ballgame every time. Even better if the Lions can get their act together too. The game does not live in Sydney alone.

And for once, there haven't been the usual fun and games coming into this series. There has been no unbalanced suspension of a key forward; we have neutral refs, home touch judges and a fair citings system.

However, there have been complaints from the Aussies who feel they have been sent to second class accommodation on the North Shore instead of the usual five star inner city hotels they're used to.

The official line is they chose it to keep a low profile. Internally there is bitching at the size and quality of the rooms, the proximity of a nightclub, and comment they're there because it was all the Australian Rugby League could afford.

The ARL, of course, is held in a financial headlock by the News Ltd-backed NRL, its club representatives more concerned with their clubs than rep football.

It's an irony that it was Murdoch's mob that wanted the tri-series when it ran Super League Down Under.

They'll want it again when the Kiwis attract 110,000 to the Sydney Olympic Stadium - and that'll happen.

Tonight's the start.