Barnstorming Tongan league forward Jason Taumalolo doesn't agree that Australia are ready for the taking.
Mate Ma'a Tonga and the Kangaroos clash in an historic test at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night, with Australia hoping to bounce back from the 26-24 loss to the Kiwis.
The margin wasn't a true reflection of New Zealand's dominance - the Kiwis led by 14-points with five minutes to play.
With the Tongan side full of high-calibre players, including Taumalolo, Andrew Fifita, Michael Jennings and David Fusitua, there's a thought Australia could slip up again.
But the former Dally M Player of the Year still holds the Kangaroos above the chasing pack.
"A lot of people are saying we are a chance of beating them," said Taumalolo. "But I'm sure Mal Meninga will have them prepared well and come Saturday, they will want to make up for what happened last week.
"It's the next generation of Kangaroos players who might have had a few lapses against the Kiwis, but don't get me wrong, they are still number one in the world and there is a reason why those guys are in the Australian jersey.
"All of their players are gamebreakers, who are all special in their own way. We definitely have our hands full come Saturday.
"We are expecting a physical and fast game from Australia. They have strike power from left to right, so it could be a long night for us."
Tonga's not-so-secret weapon in potentially inflicting back-to-back losses on Australia will be their fan base.
The 2017 World Cup proved Mate Ma'a Tonga to be the most popular side at the tournament and with thousands of fans showing up in Auckland on Wednesday for an open training session, the colour red will dominate the 30,000 strong crowd on Saturday.
Taumalolo said the decibel level could prove to be daunting for both sides.
"Obviously, the boys are all pretty excited to have a few fans turn up and watch a training session, but Saturday night will be much bigger.
"I'm not used to it and I don't think many of the boys are either - we know it's gonna be pretty loud on Saturday, given how loud it was today, so the boys are still trying to get used to loud noises and think just how loud it might become on Saturday.
"Last year's World Cup showed that and when the game was announced that we would be playing here, everyone started painting their cars red at the time to get themselves ready for this weekend.
"The build-up this week is pretty big and the boys are really looking forward to Saturday.
"We feed off their support, so for them to turn up in these numbers and paint the place red, that inspires us even more. I guess it has its downside in terms of trying to call plays, but the boys don't mind that."
The 25-year-old said this test against Australia has been a long time coming.
Speculated about for months, the official announcement for the fixture only came in September, but the former Kiwis international said he's been thinking about the clash since last year's World Cup.
A heart-breaking loss to England in the semi-final prevented the Pacific Island side from earning a shot 12 months ago, but now, just a few days out, Taumalolo is itching to get on the park and make Tongans proud.
"We have been looking forward to this. The game has been talked about for a while now, so to have it finally happen, it's pretty special - not just for ourselves, but for the country as well.
"We are hoping to go out there and do everyone proud, and I'm sure we will do that."
Newshub.
Join us at 7:30pm Saturday for live updates of the Mate Ma'a Tonga vs Australian Kangaroos league test at Mt Smart Stadium.
