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Two years after a threadbare Australian side was beaten in a Wellington Four Nations final, surrendering the number one ranking the green and golds consider to be almost a right, the Kangaroos are back where they've been for most of the half century.
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Australia outclass Kiwis to win Four Nations
Two years after a threadbare Australian side was beaten in a Wellington Four Nations final, the Kangaroos are back where they've been for most of the half century.
The 34-8 win was clinical without without ever straying into sleep-inducing territory...
The 40,042 crowd at the home of Liverpool 'ooh'ed and 'ah'ed at the skill and booed when Johnathan Thurston robbed them of more open-field wizardry by signalling he would shoot for a penalty goal.
The first try came after only two minutes and from then, the £100,000 first prize was always heading to Moore Park.
In the second half, the Kiwis salvaged some pride as they always do but considering they beat England in their only Test win of the year, the gap between Australia and its nearest rivals seems to be as wide as it has been this century.
As is often the case when scorelines blow out, there were sliding doors moments early for the vanquished. The Kiwis unfurled all their trick shots in a desperate attempt to unsettle the Australians, with a Jordan Rapana break unlucky not to produce points.
New Australian coach Mal Meninga believes he can restore the prestige of international rugby league in Australia by transcending the sport itself with the brilliance of his team.
They've already mimicked one of the teams on which he bases the theory – the All Blacks – by going through the tournament undefeated,
At times, they showed glimpses of the other of sport's enduring domination tropes, the Harlem Globetrotters.
On a lush, spungy surface that seemed to invite creativity and daring, there were sometimes echoes of Meninga's 1982 tourists as the Australians raced to a 24-0 halftime lead.
They couldn't keep it going, however.
Desperate Kiwi defence and the video ref denied them either side of the break and it was a try apiece in the third quarter. Fullback Jordan Kahu posted a brace of tries in the second session to counter Josh Dugan and Boyd Cordner's four-pointers for the victors.
Exactly what Andrew Hill, CEO of the 2017 World Cup, and Jason Moore, newly installed promoter of the 2025 World Cup, thought as they sat in their Anfield seats would be fascinating to know.
Australia's vulnerability since 2005 has helped create interest in New Zealand and Britain, as evidenced by the excellent attendance despite England absence.
Whether a return to the status quo will do any harm is the golden question. At least Hill won't have to rely on fickle Sydneysiders next year for an answer.
AUSTRALIA 34 (Josh Dugan 2, Trent Merrin, Blake Ferguson, Darius Boyd, Boyd Cordner tries; Jonathan Thurston 5 goals) beat NEW ZEALAND 8 (Jordan Kahu 2 tries) at Anfield, Liverpool. Referee: Ben Cummins (Australia). Crowd: 40,042