Australia edged New Zealand 24-22 in their Rugby League World Cup opener, with Jack Bostock and Reece Walsh helping secure a victory despite an uneven attacking display.
South Sydney centre Latrell Mitchell had a quiet game after reportedly battling a cold before kick-off. Reporter Christian Nicolussi said coach Kevin Walters revealed Mitchell was sick and had only just been fit to play.
Mitchell made 16 runs for 64 metres and completed 12 tackles as New Zealand's forwards kept Australia's backs largely out of the contest. Some questioned whether Bradman Best should have played if Mitchell was not fully fit.
Mitchell had returned shortly before South Sydney's NRL finals campaign, playing 80 minutes in the Rabbitohs' elimination loss. He had seen little action since Round 11 and will hope for more recovery before Australia face Fiji this weekend.
Walters told Big Sports Breakfast on Monday that several players performed well despite limited recent game time. Walsh had been sidelined for nearly eight weeks after injuring his ankle in Round 24, while Patrick Carrigan and Kotoni Staggs also missed finals football.
"I thought we played good football in patches, just not consistently across the 80 minutes...it was a very good win, we'll take it and move on," Walters said.
"There is lots to work on from the game, out attack was a little bit clunky. Defensively we were very good, but out attack was a bit clunky and we need to sort that out very quickly. We've only got one more game after this one and we are into the semi-finals. So we got to make sure we fix it up and fix it quickly."
Australia's win is likely to secure top spot in Group A. Fiji opened its campaign with a 40-12 victory over the Cook Islands, while New Zealand will meet the Cook Islands.
With Mitchell Moses ruled out of the tournament, Walters is considering Tom Dearden or Sam Walker for the No.7 role in the semi-final. Both are likely to start against Fiji.