Australia haven't won the Bledisloe Cup in almost two decades, but many across the Tasman feel they won't get a better chance to win the silverware back than this year.
The All Blacks have struggled this season, plagued by inconsistency and inaccuracy, but they're not getting swept up in talk of a Wallabies revival, as they eye 20 years of Bledisloe dominance.
The visitors had some crosscode faces drop in on training at Melbourne and they could do with emulating the consistency of Melbourne Storm.
New Zealand's hot-and-cold form has seen them unable to string back-to-back wins together and they want to make sure that changes.
"We're proud of the performance we put out there last weekend, but it's certainly time to back it up," said captain Sam Cane. "We haven't been pleased with our inconsistencies this year and with a trophy like this on the line, it's a tough place to play here."
While New Zealand have struggled for consistency, the year has hardly been straightforward for the Wallabies either, with exactly the same record of three wins and four losses.
The Wallabies haven't lifted the Bledisloe since 2022 and captain James Slipper is quick to bat away suggestions their best chance of doing it again is now.
"I've heard that commentary a fair bit," says Slipper. "But history tells us they're a pretty hard team to beat, so historically, they've had the wood on us for 20 years"
Talk of Australian dominance in the face of All Blacks decline is water off a duck's back for NZ winger Will Jordan.
He's the first to acknowledge their shortcomings, but is happy to let the talk build around the Wallabies.
"Heading into this series, there's always a bit of chatter around that," he said. "That's the Aussie way.
"They're a confident bunch and they back themselves, particularly over here on home soil."
The All Blacks know it's on them to ensure the Wallabies hype is short-lived.
"We haven't won that yet for this year," Jordan continued. "We haven't earned that right, so we're excited to go out there and earn that right to celebrate with it again."
The All Blacks only have to win one of the two tests to retain the Bledisloe Cup, but they'd love nothing more than to lock it away in enemy territory.
Join us at 9:45pm Thursday for live updates of the first All Blacks v Wallabies Bledisloe Cup test
