[1] Kevin Locke Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney has largely left it up to the players thumped by Australia in their last outing to make amends when two teams meet in the Four Nations opener in Warrington on Saturday morning (NZT).
Kearney has made just two changes to the side embarrassed 42-6 by the Kangaroos in Newcastle a fortnight ago, and one was forced on him with the suspension of Russell Packer for his dangerous tackle on Australian skipper Darren Lockyer.
Packer's Warriors teammate Ben Matulino will start in the front row and Wigan utility Thomas Leuluai, who remained in England instead of travelling out to Australia, will start on the bench in place of Nathan Fien. Issac Luke starts at hooker.
Otherwise the team remains the same, although Kearney has made a positional change with Melbourne second rower Sika Manu brought into the starting line-up for Alex Glenn (Brisbane), one of five test debutants in Newcastle, who goes to the bench.
Adam Blair remains unavailable as he serves the last match of his suspension dating back to Melbourne's fiery regular season NRL clash with Manly.
"We obviously weren't pleased with the way we performed in Newcastle,'' said Kearney. "We've worked hard since we've been here to give us the best possible chance of producing the kind of performance we expect of ourselves.
"We set high standards within the team and we all know those weren't achieved the last time we played Australia.''
The backline is unchanged while prop Sam McKendry and back rowers Simon Mannering and Jeremy Smith are still in their starting roles with Fuifui Moimoi and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves again the interchange front rowers. Young Melbourne second rower Kevin Proctor has been chosen as 18th man.
One of the few players to emerge from the Newcastle encounter with credit was Warriors fullback Kevin Locke, named the team's player of the day after his test debut. He scored New Zealand's only try, made 161m from 15 runs and also produced eight tackle breaks.
As a 20-year-old NRL rookie, he wasn't given any game time when he first visited England with the Kiwis for their 2009 Four Nations campaign and knows his first test here will be difficult.
"It is going to be very tough on Friday night,'' he said. "We've just got to try to forget about the game we had in Newcastle. It was a poor performance by us but it's a new week, a new team and hopefully we can bounce back with a good performance.''
Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens named an extended 20-man squad to play New Zealand, with Beau Scott, Greg Inglis and Corey Parker included on a seven-man bench in a squad that includes the same 17 players who defeated the Kiwis in Newcastle on October 16.
Teams
Kiwis: 1. Kevin Locke, 2. Kalifa Faifai Loa, 3. Lewis Brown, 4. Gerard Beale, 5. Jason Nightingale, 6. Benji Marshall (c), 7. Kieran Foran, 8. Ben Matulino, 9. Issac Luke, 10. Sam McKendry, 11. Sika Manu, 12. Simon Mannering, 13. Jeremy Smith. Interchange: 14. Thomas Leuluai, 15. Fuifui Moimoi, 16. Alex Glenn, 17. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
Australia (three to be omitted): 1. Billy Slater, 2. Akuila Uate, 3. Willie Tonga, 4. Chris Lawrence, 5. Darius Boyd, 6. Darren Lockyer (c), 7. Johnathan Thurston, 8. Paul Gallen, 9. Cameron Smith, 10. Matt Scott, 11. Luke Lewis, 12. Sam Thaiday, 13. Anthony Watmough, 14. Cooper Cronk, 15. Keith Galloway, 16. David Shillington, 17. Tony Williams, 18. Beau Scott, 19. Greg Inglis, 20. Corey Parker.
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