"There's been concerns expressed before the tournament," said tournament director Jon Dutton. "We're spending a bit of money to make sure health and safety isn't compromised. "We've got some matting and and padding, we've also taken out the LED displays behind the goals." Dutton said while most NRL grounds were a regulation 100 metres by 68, in Britain this needed to be adjusted because of the variation of venues used. Zebra Claims Stadium in Workington was less than 90 metres on Friday night. In effect, organisers have sacrificed the length of the field to ensure a five metre in-goal and a three metre gap before the fence. "What it is now is safe," said Australia coach Mal Meninga. "The in-goal areas are a safe environment. Both sides understand it's a bit shorter but it's not going to make it any less a spectacle.

Prop Bromwich, however, had some reservations in that area. "Small fields, I think it makes it more of a forward battle," he said.. "It's very hard to shift the ball and find gaps out wide. You've got to kinda go through a team if it's a smaller field. "I am definitely one of the players who would sacrifice a few metres here and there to play at a stadium like this. It's an absolute honour to play here and I'm really looking forward to it." Halfback Cooper Cronk said: "We obviously need to play in these venues to expose the game and get some attention around it but also, first and foremost, player safety needs to be paramount. 'I remember Brett Morris, Luke Lewis … I've had a look at the in-goal. Hopefully there's some safety measures put in place in the ground beyond the in-goal."

The Kiwis and Kangaroos shifted base to Liverpool on Tuesday, where they hosted a joint media conference at Anfield. In attendance were coaches Meninga and David Kidwell, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston from Australia and New Zealanders Bromwich, Issac Luke and Adam Blair. Referee Ben Cummins was appointed referee – a decision neither camp quibbled with publicly. Around 35,000 tickets have been sold and Dutton said the tournament would meet budget despite the host nation missing the final. In an intriguing example of his forensic attention to detail, Cronk gave Fairfax the following assessment of the impact of a shortened playing arena. "From what I gather the 10 metres lines may be brought in a metre at each point so it doesn't really change (much)," he said. "What will play a part is the surface itself, not the metreage. "The grass at a football stadium, or soccer as we call it back in Australia, likes to be finely cut with water on the top so the soccer ball has an even bounce and skids.