Australia has named its squad to face New Zealand in Friday's ANZAC rugby league test in Canberra, with the Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens adamant the mid-season match still holds relevance.
That's despite the Kiwis failing to win the one-off fixture since 1998.
Stephen Kearney's side beat Australia in the Rugby League World Cup final in 2008 and the Four Nations decider in 2010, but have struggled to match that form in matches outside of tournaments.
Despite that, Sheens is a fan of the timing of the fixture and says it still belongs on the calendar, even though it now comes before State of Origin, which he calls a little out of sync as Origin was invented to be a trial for the tests.
Sheens says his team enjoys playing the ANZAC test, it is well supported by the crowds, and it is also the game where you get your strongest combinations, as at the end of the year often you have guys out having surgery.
Kangaroos: Billy Slater, Darius Boyd, Greg Inglis, Justin Hodges, Brett Morris, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Matt Scott, Cameron Smith (captain), James Tamou, Greg Bird, Sam Thaiday, Paul Gallen, Kurt Gidley, Luke Lewis, Nate Myles, Anthony Watmough, Josh Morris
