Two tries apiece from Jessica Sergis, Isabelle Kelly and Kennedy Cherrington have helped Australia storm to a third successive women's Rugby League World Cup title, overwhelming New Zealand 54-4 in the final at Old Trafford.
The Kiwis were on the back foot from the start, after Sergis forced her way over for an early try, with the reigning champions crossing the line three more times in the first half - including twice from Kelly - to register a 20-0 lead at the break.
Australia kept coming in the second half, with Emma Tonegato going over between the posts soon after the restart, before another from Sergis and a Tarryn Aiken effort put the game beyond their trans-Tasman rivals.
The biggest cheer from the Manchester crowd was reserved for the game's next try - New Zealand's only score of the match - with Madison Bartlett going over, but it was too little, too late.
Australia did not have to wait long to touch down again, as a quickfire pair of converted tries from Cherrington and another from Evania Pelite finished off a near-perfect afternoon for the holders.
The final whistle was greeted with wild celebrations, as the Australian domination of the women's game rumbled on.
"That's a tough one today," said NZ coach Ricky Henry. "To Australia's credit, they played really well.
"We struggled to back up what we talked about, but it's a credit to them and how well they played. We've got quite a young squad there, so I'm hoping that in 2025, we'll be better prepared for another crack at it."
Australia 54 (Sergis 2, Kelly 2, Charrington 2, Robinson, Tonegato, Aiken & Pelite tries; Brown 5 conversions, Brigginshaw 2 conversions) NZ 4 (Bartlett try)
Reuters/Newshub
