Australia victory raises more questions than answers

THE Kangaroos ground out a dour win over New Zealand but the result just raises more questions for the rapidly ageing squad.

Australia beat New Zealand in a forgettable contest.

SO big brother beat up on little brother and from it we wake up none the wiser about Australia’s next generation.

In that respect, it was an opportunity missed for the Kangaroos.

Sure, you take any win you can in Test match rugby league, and especially given the fact New Zealand had won the last three straight Tests against Australia.

Cooper Cronk of the Kangaroos is tackled by Kodi Nikorima, (left), and Adam Blair of the Kiwis.

So it was crucial for new coach Mal Meninga that he got a win in his first game in charge.

But it still would have been nice to see a few more fresh faces given the Kiwis were so severely understrength.

Freddy Fittler said it during the week, imagine if young Panther Bryce Cartwright had of been playing in the Test match instead of City Country tomorrow. And a few more like him.

Sure, we had some new faces in the likes of Semi Radradra, Blake Ferguson, Michael Morgan and Josh Maguire.

But there could have been more.

Instead it was the old war horses who held their ground in a dominant if not memorable 16-0 shutout.

That is something Meninga might look back on with regret at some point over the next 18 or so months.

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Kevon Proctor of the Kiwis is tackled by Josh Papalii and Cameron Smith.

Remember, there is an end of year Four Nations coming up this year to be followed by the World Cup next year.

And the fact is Australia’s squad isn’t getting any younger.

No disrespect to the Kangaroos but the bulk of Australia’s best players are the senior squad

members and seven of them are aged over 30.

And they are still the best we have got.

Or at least that is what we know right now given we haven’t seen the next generation get their

taste at this level yet.

Semi Radradra had a strong performance on debut.

Paul Gallen won the man of the match and led the way with fellow 30-somethings Cameron Smith and Matt Scott. Corey Parker was Corey Parker.

Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk were strong even if they were well contained by a Kiwi defence that did its darnedest to make up for the spark it lacked in attack.

But in fairness, as Channel Nine’s Phil Gould said in commentary at one point, you

could probably have picked a stronger Kiwi team with the players who were missing last night than those who played.

Names like Kieran Foran, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Issac Luke, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Manu Vatuvei, Ben Matulino, Simon Mannering were among the missing for New Zealand.

Yet that is who Australia will be up against at the Four Nations and the World Cup, the Kiwis’ best.

Not the make shift squad Steve Kearney was forced to rush together last night.

And still Australia only got away with a 16-0 victory.