The finalists for the Rugby League World Cup have been decided, after Australia held off New Zealand and Samoa upset England over the weekend. It sets up an unprecedented final clash between the perennial Australians and ever-improving Samoans.
The semifinals were two very different games, both with moments of incredible skill, excitement, determined defence and the necessary desperation. New Zealand had every chance to upset the reigning champions, but just fell short of the stamina and late spark required. The first half of the game contained some incredible rugby league, but with a sluggish ruck and a dubious 10 metres, the second half became a bit of a slog for both teams
The deciding try from Australia's Cameron Murray was as simple as it was unexpected, the Rabbitohs skipper charging through the guts of the Kiwi defence from ten metres out, to crash over under the posts. An exhausted and dazed Brandon Smith was unable to muster an effective tackle, as he froze a metre off his line.
The Australians lacked cohesion again and there have been calls from some quarters for Daly Cherry-Evans to take Nathan Cleary's spot at halfback for the final. It would be a shortsighted and likely ineffective fix for a problem that is much more complicated. You need only look to the other side of the field, where Cameron Munster also struggled to make an impact, to realise that it's not only the halves who are off their best.
Combinations take time to develop, and in this Kangaroos line-up you have two centres who don't normally play centre and you have a fullback in James Tedesco who can be as unpredictable to his teammates as he is to the defence. You also have Ben Hunt starting at dummy-half before switching to Harry Grant.
Because coach Mal Meninga started the tournament unsure of his best line-up and determined to give everyone a run, this team has only been together for two games. Going back to Cherry-Evans would bring a greater familiarity with the other Queenslanders in the team, but the majority of the outside backs he would have to work with are from New South Wales.
Cleary obviously doesn't look as sharp as he does in a Panthers jersey, or for that matter a New South Wales jersey. Not only is he getting used to the other players around him, against the Kiwis he was also facing a very strong team, playing at a much higher intensity level than an NRL game, with all the pressure of carrying a nation's hopes. Cleary has done perfectly well under the circumstances and will likely pull off a play or two that helps settle the final in Australia's favour.
At Old Trafford Cleary will face some of his best mates from the Panthers, including Jarome Luai and Stephen Crichton. Samoa will play with a dangerous, nothing-to-lose attitude, with the free-flowing, hot potato football that saw them upset England. At their best they are an exciting team to watch and very difficult to contain.
They went into their semifinal against England with revenge on their minds, after their humiliating defeat in the opening game of the tournament. They played with plenty of spirit, scoring five tries to England's four, before winning with a Crichton field goal in golden point extra time.
They will find the Australian defence much tougher to crack, and Samoa did concede four tries and 26 points to England. They will definitely need to tighten their defence and keep errors to a minimum.
It will be a worthy finale, with a refreshingly new combatant. Despite the best of planning, the home team has missed out on the tournament's final, which will damage the hopes for a full house. Old Trafford will still be buzzing, with every neutral fan in attendance no doubt cheering on the underdogs, hoping they can unseat the Kangaroos.
The Australians will be hard to beat, though, and their attack should show further signs of improvement. Cleary should be halfback, with Meninga's full backing, as was the case in the lead-up to the semifinal. Now is not the time to make a panicked change, spurred on by keyboard coaches half a world away.