Seven days before they meet in the inaugural Pacific Championship final, Australia have sent a warning to NZ Kiwis, prevailing 26-18 in a preview of that fixture at Melbourne.
With both teams easily handling Toa Samoa - the third team in the competition - their spots in the final were already assured, but the world champion Kangaroos showed they will be tough to beat, as they never trailled against their nearest rivals on the international stage.
Front-rower Lindsay Collins scored a try double on debut and winger Valentine Holmes enjoyed a near-perfect goalkicking night to keep the challenge at bay.
After an intense haka that ended with the Kiwis players nose-to-nose with their counterparts, winger Jamayne Isaako undid the emotional impact by putting the opening kickoff dead, gifting Australia prime position for their opening attack.
New Zealand repulsed that initial thrust, but conceded the opening try, when Kangaroos captain James Tedesco kicked behind the defence and Holmes won the race to score.
Second-rower Briton Nikora levelled the contest, when half Jahrome Hughes kicked and was tackled without the ball, but Nikora gathered to score.
Collins rumbled over for Australia, when winger Dylan Edwards outjumped the Kiwis defence for a high kick and centre Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow snaffled the loose ball to provide the final pass.
Isaako had a chance to respond, when fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad sent him racing for the corner, but with two defenders covering, the winger forced on the touch-in-goal line.
Instead, Collins grabbed a second, with the Kiwis stretched by a quick play-the-ball close to their own line.
With halftime nearing, Hughes kicked high towards the posts and winger Ronaldo Mulitalo jumped high to snatch the ball and stretch out for the tryline.
For 10 minutes after the break, both sides wrestled for momentum, but the Aussies seized that initiative back, when Tabuai-Fidow wrongfooted counterpart Joseph Manu and showed Edwards a clear run to the corner.
New Zealand needed to score twice to stay in contention, but Holmes put the final nail in their coffin with a penalty goal, when referee Adam Gee ruled the Kiwis had obstructed the Australian defence inside their own 20.
The visitors did strike back, when the Kangaroos made a hash of another high kick from Holmes and from the resulting attack, Fa'amanu Brown burrowed over by the posts, but hooker Ben Hunt finally erased any hope of a miracle, when he also spun over for a try from dummy half.
Forward Cam Murray broke the Kiwis spirit in the final seconds to really rub salt into the wounds.
"Disappointed, obviously not what we wanted," said veteran forward Joseph Tapine. "I thought we didn't get to end the sets well enough and you can't do that against Australia.
"We'll definitely get back to mahi this week and make sure we do the job next week.
'"Test matches are won on little things and we just didn't polish some of them, and they capitalised on that."
New Zealand played their frontline players and had anxious moment in the second half, when captain James Fister-Harris and Tapine clashed heads in a tackle, leaving both bleeding profusely, but avoiding head injury assessments.
By contrast, Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga rested his star front-rowers Payne Haas and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, who will be fresh for the return encounter at Hamilton's FMG Stadium.
Australia 36 (Collins 2, Holmes, Edwards & Hunt tries; Holmes 5 conversions & penalty) NZ Kiwis 18 (Nikora, Mulitalo, F Brown tries; Isaako 3 conversions)
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