NZ Kiwis coach Michael Maguire says confidence in his group is high, before the Rugby League World Cup later this month.
Aside from the six players involved in Sunday's NRL Grand Final, the group has already assembled in England, with their first game against Lebanon on October 17.
The side is laden with talent across the field and Maguire insists it has the potential to win the World Cup for the second time.
"I believe so, yeah," Maguire said. "The players understand what we need to do.
"We've got a fair bit in front of us, but the belief among the team is really strong. I'm not going to shy away from that - I think it's a great thing for the team.
"I've got to pick 17 out of the 24. There could be a number of combinations we could have, but I'll leave that up to the players, how they play over the early games and their performances."
Most of the squad had the chance to show their potential in the Kiwis' mid-year victory over Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium, while enforcers Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Isaac Liu bolster the forward ranks.
With the World Cup inching closer, Maguire concedes that game and the time in camp could prove massively beneficial, as the team look to hit the ground running in England.
"I'm so pleased we were able to play that," he continued. "What it did do is allow players to see what it means to New Zealand.
"It just reminded players of how important rugby league is to New Zealand. That's something the players have actually spoken about.
"From a footy point of view, it just allowed us to go back to the things we've been speaking about for the last 2-3 years about how we want to play."
With confidence comes caution, with arguably the most competitive tournament ever waiting to greet Maguire's side.
Despite not assembling since their historic 2019 defeat to Tonga, he concedes the Kangaroos will be favorites.
"They've got the runs on the board. History tells you that they're the carriers of the World Cup over a long period of time.
"It's about what we do together and that will be the focus we have. Results will sort themselves out with how we go about things.
As well as recognising the challenge that lies ahead, Maguire's quick to reinforce the belief his side has going into the tournament.
"I've got a very tight group and you need those sorts of things to be able to be a success.
"We've got some big opposition that's being played against us. Some of the other nations too, like Samoa and Tonga, they've been able to get a lot of quality in their teams.
"You can't underestimate any team."
Catch live coverage of the Rugby League World Cup on Spark Sport, and free-to-air on Three and ThreeNow, or join us for live updates of all Kiwis games, beginning October 17 against Lebanon
