New Zealand's 30-0 win in the 2023 Pacific Championships final remains Australia's most recent Test defeat.
Isaah Yeo played in that loss but says it is not driving him into Sunday's World Cup final against the Kiwis at Suncorp Stadium.
"I certainly didn't like it at the time, but there's been a lot happen since then," Yeo said.
He said Australia had learned from the defeat, then won the Pacific Championships and the Ashes.
The 32-year-old lock will join Reece Walsh, Cameron Munster, Tom Dearden and Harry Grant in the starting spine for only the third time this tournament.
Australia beat the Cook Islands 66-6 before a 44-12 semi-final victory over Samoa, which Yeo said showed progress.
At Penrith, Yeo has spent a decade playing alongside Dylan Edwards and Nathan Cleary; for Australia, he guides the attack from lock with his passing and runs at the defence.
"You try to figure out what each other's strengths are and play off the back of that," Yeo said of building combinations.
He believes Australia have grown more connected as the campaign has progressed.
Yeo expects this to be his final World Cup, with the next tournament scheduled for 2030.
"I'll be 36 or 37 (by 2030), so I highly doubt it, but I just stay in the present," Yeo added.
He said captaining Australia was an honour he did not take for granted.