Australia marches toward Four Nations with victory

v BYE

The Australian Kangaroos have made their claim for the Four Nations title with a strong 26-6 victory over the New Zealand Kiwis at a sold out NIB Stadium in Perth - with rugby League continuing to grow in Western Australia following a rugby league ground record attendance of 20,283.

It was a tale of the debutants as Valentine Holmes and Tyson Frizell made their mark in the Test Football arena with top performances, while NSW forward Boyd Cordner was also dominant for the home side.

Darius Boyd and Greg Inglis put the Australians on the front foot, each scoring six minutes apart to give the hosts an 8-0 lead after 14 minutes. Johnathan Thurston's radar failed with both sideline attempts sailing wide of the uprights.

The Kiwis stepped into gear at the 21st minute as Shaun Johnson set-up Kevin Proctor to sail across the try line.

The game settled into half time with the Australian side ahead by two points, the scoreboard reading 8-6 after forty minutes.

New Zealand struggled throughout the game as their kicking and last tackle options saw them stuck without opportunities to mount attack. Australia dominated in the second half as they crafted a further three tries, with Holmes (45th minute), Greg Inglis (68th) and Cordner (76th) all adding their names to the board.

The focus of International Rugby League now turns to the Four Nations tournament which kicks off on October 28th, with Australia playing Scotland at KC Lightstream Stadium in Hull. The Kiwis' first Four Nations outing will be against England at Huddersfield's John Smith's Stadium on October 29th.