Despite being disappointed at taking a thrashing at the hands of the Kangaroos, David Kidwell believes there are positives for his Kiwis to take out of their Four Nations campaign.
The new Kiwis coach was delighted with the introduction of new faces to the test squad, but it still doesn't supplant the hurt at losing 34-8 to the world champions in the final.
"Obviously disappointed with the result," said Kidwell.
"Some real positives [to take out of the tour], with six debutants coming into the world cup for next year so in that respect the culture is strong but obviously disappointed with our performance in the final."
Kidwell acknowledges he should bear the brunt of criticism surrounding team performance and selection, but given the six-month break until the two sides meet again in the ANZAC Test, he has time on his side to learn from his mistakes.
"At the end of the day the buck stops with me and I have to look at that as part of the [review] process as well.
"I'm always continuously learning. You lose and you are under the microscope - you win and everyone thinks your selections are great, so that's just part of the job.
"I have a bit more time now untill the ANZAC game to really reflect and have a look at a really close tactical game and building that belief back into the Kiwis about winning against Australia."
The 39-year-old believes that off-the-field the team is as strong as ever and that bodes well for both him and the team ahead of the 2018 Rugby League World Cup.
"I've loved this process, and the main thing is that the culture [within the team] is still strong which is a real positive for us and again I will learn from this tour and become better and stronger."
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