Gorden Tallis believes the playmaking duel between Kalyn Ponga and Reece Walsh could decide a close World Cup contest between Australia and New Zealand.
"Let's just say whoever plays the best out of Kalyn Ponga and Reece Walsh, that team will win," he said.
Tallis said New Zealand did almost everything right in the opener but still lost 24-22.
"That would have been the worst performance, so that's something that I'm really confident about," Tallis said.
He noted many Kangaroos had not played for six weeks, while Walsh was returning after nine weeks out with a leg injury.
On Australia's resilience, Tallis said, "The Aussies don't go away, not in rugby league."
He said New Zealand would need to maintain its intensity for the full 80 minutes.
"When you play the Kangaroos, you can be ahead in a lot of things, but you've got to be ahead on the scoreboard," Tallis said.