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Kangaroos Greg Inglis ... preparing for test match against New Zealand. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited
Greg Inglis has scoffed at suggestions Friday's rugby league Test against a weakened New Zealand will be a meaningless walkover.
Without their biggest names Benji Marshall and Sonny Bill Williams through injury plus hard man Jeremy Smith (suspension) and with playmaker Shaun Johnson (knee) in doubt, the Kiwis have been dismissed as $6 outsiders for the Canberra Stadium clash.
That assessment is supported by New Zealand's appalling record in one-off mid-year Tests, not having won one since 1998.
But Inglis was adamant the Kangaroos would not take the Kiwis lightly, particularly as both teams were keenly aware of the chance to impress for World Cup berths later in the year.
"I don't know what the critics are talking about but the boys here are going to run out with their chest out with a lot of pride behind them," Inglis said on Tuesday.
"It's a World Cup year and people are playing for their positions.
"And I'm pretty sure (Australia coach) Tim Sheens and the selectors will be having their eye on the other team running around this weekend.''
Billy Slater's stranglehold on the No.1 jersey means Inglis will revert from his position of fullback at South Sydney to the centres on Friday night.
However it's a move that Inglis said he was comfortable with.
"Transition-wise, I'd been in the (centres) for quite a long time," he said.
"I don't find it quite hard at all. I've got blokes inside of me that do their job and give me the ball in the space that I need."
The Kangaroos head into the match with a tried and proven match-wining backline, with all but winger Brett Morris having played a role in Queensland's seven-year dominance of Origin football.
Slater said it was always an advantage having played plenty of football alongside one another.
"It's not just the backline, but this whole side has been together for a while now," Slater said.
"But we have to take advantage of it. We can't just go out there and think that because we've played together for a long period of time it's just going to happen for us.
"We certainly need to knuckle down and do all the hard work this week."
Meanwhile, Kiwi winger Jason Nightingale said halfback Johnson would be given every chance to recover from his knee injury sustained in the Warriors' NRL loss to the Canberra Raiders on Saturday.
"I think he's going alright with his rehab," Nightingale said.
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