New Zealand are vowing to go in for the kill and lay down a World Cup marker in the much-anticipated Pacific Championships final showdown against Samoa.
After a poor campaign last year, international rugby league's sleeping giants have awoken from their slumber with impressive wins over Samoa and Tonga to make Sunday's showpiece match at Commbank Stadium.
While their two major Pacific Island rivals have captured all the attention and recognition for their dramatic rise as World Cup forces, New Zealand entered this year's tournament with a point to prove following a disappointing 2024 showing.
"Look, I feel that we've sort of gone under the radar a little bit, and kind of rightly so," coach Stacey Jones said on Wednesday.
"The noise that's out there, you've got to take your hat off to the Samoan and Tongan fans. They're outstanding, but we know we've got fans out there too that are behind us.
"So it's just been great for the game to see the interest around it."
Jones admits all sides have one eye on the World Cup, and he's hoping his resurgent outfit can deliver another statement showing against Toa Samoa.
"There are always opportunities," he said after naming an unnamed line-up to the side that trounced Tonga 40-14 last Sunday in Auckland.
"We had an opportunity last week to put together at Eden Park, and I thought the team did that.
"And this is another opportunity to do something. The problem is we've got another team that wants to do the same thing, and they're a very good team."
Back-rower Isaiah Papali'i believes last year was a learning curve and hopes the Kiwis are on an upwards trajectory that will have them peaking for the World Cup in the same way they did before crushing Australia 30-0 in the 2023 Pacific Cup final.
"The losses that we did take last year burnt us, and coming into this campaign we used that as fuel I reckon, and everyone came into camp ready to hit the ground running," Papali'i said.
"That's helped us do well this year."
Papali'i is urging his teammates to maintain the standards set in the seven-tries-to-two rout over Tonga.
"There's a lot of strike (power) and the way we've started games has really helped us, but we've got to make sure we don't really take the foot off the throat and get comfortable with how those last two games have gone," he said.
"We've got to start again."
The stage is set for a gripping finale after New Zealand edged out the star-studded Samoans 24-18 three weeks ago in round one of the competition.
"I think both teams will get some real good confidence out of that game and also both teams from what they've done since," Jones said.
"Look, it's a final. I'm sure the game will go super fast and it's going to be a super contest, so we'd like to back ourselves."
