The 2011 Anzac Test...

League's Anzac tests:

* May 7, 2010: Australia beat New Zealand 12-8 at AAMI Park, Melbourne

* May 8, 2009: Australia beat New Zealand 38-10 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

* May 9, 2008: Australia beat New Zealand 28-12 at Sydney Cricket Ground

* April 20, 2007:' Australia beat New Zealand 30-6 at Suncorp Stadium

* May 5, 2006: Australia beat New Zealand 50-12 at Suncorp Stadium

* April 22, 2005: Australia beat New Zealand 32-16 at Suncorp Stadium

* April 23, 2004: Australia beat New Zealand 37-10 at EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle

* April 21, 2000: Australia beat New Zealand 52-0 at Stadium Australia, Sydney

* April 23, 1999: Australia beat New Zealand 20-14 at Stadium Australia, Sydney

* April 24, 1998: New Zealand beat Australia 22-16 at North Harbour Stadium, Auckland

* April 25, 1997: Australia beat New Zealand 34-22 at Sydney Football Stadium

TOTAL: Australia 10 New Zealand 1

Mt Everest - a peak once considered unscaleable but which these days succumbs to anyone with a pair of hiking boots doesn't quite fit (the Anzac test is hardly the pinnacle of the game).

Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner springs to mind, but is rather ruined by the fact the Kiwis have once actually snared their prey.

Guess we'll have to settle for Alfred, Lord Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade. Into the Valley of Death rode the brave 600 and all that.

Okay, so the Kiwis have actually only sent about 180-odd troops into the Anzac test meat grinder, but the results on foreign fields have been largely the same as the Battle of Balaclava.

Massacres have been the norm. Over 10 matches on Aussie soil the Kangaroos have outscored the Kiwis 333-110 - an average match score of 33-11.

After Tri Nations, Four Nations and World Cup successes in recent times, better is expected of the Kiwis this year. But should it be? The theory is that the Aussies are better in mid-season test matches because they are less affected by the ridiculously short preparation time granted to the teams.

Regular State of Origin exposure helps the Australians form combinations, while the superior individual ability of the Kangaroos' galaxy of superstars tends to expose a Kiwis side that has barely had time to polish up the haka, let alone form any sort of on-field cohesion.

"It kind of shows," admitted workhorse Kiwis backrower Bronson Harrison. "We just tend to flow a bit better when we spend more time together. We have performed a lot better in tournaments than we have in Anzac tests. But we are looking to turn that around this week."

The question is, can they? Their biggest hope seems to lie in the fact that 13 of the side that won November's Four Nations final should run out tonight.

By comparison, Australia have just eight players returning. With the core of their side intact, the Kiwis should be less affected by the short preparation time. But they laugh off suggestions they might even start favourites.

"Over the last few years the ledger has changed a little bit with us coming up trumps in a couple of tournaments," said Simon Mannering, the big game centre.

"But I don't know about a favourite tag or what not. Australia is the big powerhouse in rugby league and I'm sure they still take that tag into tonight. The Anzac test has been one that we haven't really done very well in at all, so it would be nice to put in a good performance that gives ourselves a chance to win the game."

This Australian side may look more threatening than the one the Kiwis defeated in November, but the Kiwis aren't worrying about who will be wearing the green and gold. They take it as a given that any Kangaroos side will be a good side, Harrison said.

"They are a strong side all over the park," Harrison said. "Our strength is in the team combining so I think that is what we will focus on. We probably won't worry so much about the individuals of Australia."

Over to you, Alfred: "Half a league, half a league, half a league onward, All in the Valley of Death ... Rode the, er, 17."

The coach unveiled his line-up for another crack at what remains the Kiwis' unconquerable peak before yesterday's training session at the posh Southport Boys School, but it didn't take long for two of Kearney's key troops to chuck it in and return to base.

Back rower Adam Blair twisted an ankle and took refuge on a training table, while hooker Nathan Fien decided his dicky hamstring would be better served by resting than attempting to propel him around a pitch sodden by recent heavy rain.

Given the session was no more than a gentle run through, the casualty rate was alarming.

The situation underscored the difficulty the Kiwis face trying to prepare for a test match on a scratch preparation that will involve more recovery than game-based training. It also suggested Kearney had good reason for naming a squad of 19 players.

As it stands young Storm winger Matthew Duffie will be the only Kiwis debutant tomorrow night.

Uncapped pair Lewis Brown and Gerard Beale have been left out of a side holding 13 of the 17 players that won November's Four Nations final in Brisbane.

While it seems there is a good chance at least one of Brown or Beale will be needed, team doctor Simon Mayhew was optimistic about Blair and Fien's prospects.

Fien's withdrawal was precautionary, while Blair's sprain was fairly mild, Mayhew said.

"We'll see how he goes over the next 24 hours but he is feeling more comfortable [after training]. It is always hard to tell straight away but looking at it now my experience is that there is every chance he will play."

Kearney has shuffled his pack a bit, inserting Sam Rapira and Sam McKendry as his starting props, while naming Blair alongside Bronson Harrison and Jeremy Smith in an experienced back row.

Canterbury-raised Duffie was kept away from the media yesterday, leaving his centre partner on the Kiwis' left-hand flank, Simon Mannering, to do the talking before what promises to be a major test against in-form Broncos duo Justin Hodges and Jharal Yow Yeh.

"[Duffie's] obviously been picked because he can do a job and I'm sure he'll do that," Mannering said. "He's still a young guy but he's from a very good NRL club in Melbourne Storm so he has had a very good upbringing in the game. He backs his ability and I'm sure he'll do that [tomorrow night]."

The Kiwis have never won the Anzac test in Australia since the first was played in Sydney in 1997. Their only success came at North Harbour Stadium in 1998, the lone time it was played in New Zealand.

Tomorrow's marks the return of props Rapira and Fuifui Moimoi and halfback Kieran Foran, who all missed the Four Nations campaign. But the core of the side remains stable, giving Kearney hope the Kiwis can claim a rare Anzac test success.

"We've been able build some consistency in our selections in recent years," he said. "The side has become more settled and we've also been able to develop a little more in terms of experience and our combinations.

"While we're improving in that area, the Australians still lead the way with representative experience and depth. They certainly have an advantage there for a one-off match of this type but our challenge is to try to keep building."

The Kangaroos have made one change to the side named on Sunday, with Sharks prop Kade Snowdon replacing the injured David Shillington.

Skilled Park, Robina,

AUSTRALIA
Billy Slater
Brett Morris
Greg Inglis
Justin Hodges
Jharal Yow Yeh
Darren Lockyer (c)
J. Thurston
Petero Civoniceva
Cameron Smith
Matt Scott
Ben Creagh
Sam Thaiday
Paul Gallen

KIWIS
Lance Hohaia
Matthew Duffie
Simon Mannering
S. Kenny-Dowall
Jason Nightingale
Benji Marshall (c)
Kieran Foran
Sam Rapira
Nathan Fien
Sam McKendry
Adam Blair
Bronson Harrison
Jeremy Smith

Australia: Cooper Cronk, Ben Hannant, Jamal Idris, Kade Snowdon.

Kiwis: Issac Luke, Ben Matulino, Fuifui Moimoi, Greg Eastwood. Lewis Brown (18th man).

$6,100 @ $1.33 ON AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND

$6,000 @ $1.33 ON AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND

$5,000 @ $1.85 ON AUSTRALIA -9.5 V NEW ZEALAND

$5,000 @ $3.67 ON AUST -9.5/MANLY/ST GEO ILL MULTI

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