There has been plenty made about a pending transitional phase in the Australian team and indeed by the time they next play, in a year's time, there are a few who likely won't be in green and gold. Slice of heaven: The Kiwis celebrate during their Trans-Tasman Test match against the Australia Kangaroos at Suncorp Stadium. Credit:Getty Images Tim Sheens, too, must be under some pressure to extend his tenure as Kangaroos coach. He achieved his objective of regaining the World Cup but their closest rivals now have the edge on them. Not since 1953 have New Zealand won three in a row against Australia. "There will be scrutiny on everyone," Sheens said of queries about his own job: "Straight after a game like that, that's not a question to ask. We've still got to sit down and analyse the game." While an ageing Australian side looked disjointed, particularly in a first half from which there was no way back, New Zealand were brimming with some of the game's best young players from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to Shaun Johnson and Jesse Bromwich. Asked whether New Zealand now deserved to be regarded as the international game's leading team, a disappointed Kangaroos captain Cameron Smith replied: "We haven't beaten them the last three times we've played them so I guess they are.

"The last three games we've played against them - tonight, the Four Nations final and the game against here last year at the start of the Four Nations were almost identical," Smith said. "We started quite well - we were the first to get across the line in all three games and then for some reason we think that we've won the game after one try." After Thaiday's opening try New Zealand scored three times in 11 minutes - twice via Manu Vatuvei - and then collected a fourth on right as Greg Inglis had a nightmare moment at the back. Attempting what appeared a straightforward clearance over the dead-ball line he took an air swipe, and an opportunistic Shaun Kenny-Dowall pounced. A wicked bounce did him no favours but it was the kind of howler you would be lucky to see Inglis make for the rest of his career and summed up a flat Australia well off the pace and an afternoon in the national No.1 jumper that the South Sydney superstar will want to forget. Sheens did not want to delve into suggestions about whether generational change was needed in the Australian team. ​"People think that Australia should just automatically get up and win - and we're disappointed in our performance, don't get me wrong - but it's not that easy," he said. Loading

"I think the State of Origin series becomes a very important series for us this year. You've got two Australian sides potentially playing one another. So there will be an element of young player we will need to look at. But at the end of the day there is no Test football for another 12 months." To compound the Australian defeat Greg Bird was placed on report for a lift on winger Jason Nightingale in the closing stages.