KEVIN WALTERS believes Australia have more to give after setting up a World Cup final against New Zealand with a 44-12 victory over Samoa at the Allianz Stadium.
Reece Walsh was on hand with a hat-trick for the Kangaroos in Sydney, with Tom Dearden, Jacob Preston, Tom Trbojevic, Bradman Best and Jack Bostock also on the scoresheet in the comprehensive win.
Stephen Crichton had broken the deadlock with a penalty in the opening exchanges, and also went over in the second half alongside Izack Tago, but Australia proved too strong, with their dominance already on display well before a Spencer Leniu sin bin ahead of the break.
“We’ve been building,” coach Walters said. “I’ve been telling the fans that we set out at the start to build over the tournament.
“Tonight was a really good performance but I still think there’s a bit more in us too, so that’s exciting.
“Our defence was really good. The Samoans can score points, and score them very quickly. They’ve got some really exciting players, and we did a good job on them defensively.
“Our middle forwards in particular stood up. They’ve been questioned and criticised by some people, but not within the group; they get a lot of respect for what they do, and they did a great job tonight.”
The World Cup final will mark Walters’ final game with the Australian national team before taking on the St Helens job in Super League next season.
“I actually enjoyed the rain tonight as it’s a bit like where I’m going,” he noted.
“That’s an exciting chapter for me and my family, but for now my focus is on the Kangaroos and getting this right because it’s a great opportunity.
“It’s hard to make World Cup finals, and people probably don’t understand how difficult it is, so we don’t want to waste this opportunity.”
