Holbrook confident Kangaroos are ready for Pacific Championship final

The Kangaroos have secured a place in the Pacific Championship final after defeating the Kiwis 22-10.

Australian assistant coach, Justin Holbrook expressed his excitement about the team’s win, over a fierce New Zealand side.

“It was good to get the win, it was a tough game,” Holbrook told SEN1170.

“I thought it was a big improvement from the week before but we have still got a fair bit of improvement left which is a good sign I think.”

Holbrook dissected the game, outlining a few missed opportunities early on, believing the side still lacks some cohesion, however is confident they are on the right track for the final.

“We missed a few chances early (but) there were touches of class from our back line which was good to watch,” he added.

“I think we can continually get better… add a little bit of ball earlier and we just got in each other's way a bit.”

Holbrook reflected on the impressive feat of the New Zealand side, in particular calling out the performance from the returning legend Shaun Johnson.

“When they announced his name, the whole stadium was up roaring.”

“We knew he was going to have a big say in the game but we were fortunate enough to do a really good job defensively and keep him fairly quiet.”

The coach cemented that Australia’s convincing victory came down to their defence and is confident that if the team’s spine can gain greater control over the ball, they have the perfect recipe for Pacific Championship success.

“We are confident we can play a lot better in the final in two weeks.”

Australia will play in the Pacific Championship Final on November 10th at CommBank Stadium.