Three  years is long enough for most people to get over a one-off shock but not for Craig Fitzgibbon and Steve Price.

The grizzled veterans of the Kangaroos rugby league pack, Fitzgibbon, Price and Petero Civoniceva are the survivors from New Zealand's 2005 Tri-Nations final victory.

That result shook Australian rugby league to its core and Fitzgibbon, one of the nice guys of league, happily admits the fear of losing is driving him.

"Yeah, it's a big fear, obviously I was part of that 2005 Tri-Nations team that was beaten and you don't want to be part of that team.

"Certainly it would never be forgotten if we don't go out there and play well on the weekend. It's a bit task, New Zealand have gradually improved throughout the tournament and I think everybody here has not lost the importance of taking part in this game, and we certainly want to do our colours proud."

Fitzgibbon is one of the fairytale stories of the World Cup.

Though many wrote the Roosters legend off in terms of representative football this season, he has forced his way past Manly prop Josh Perry into Australia's 17 for tomorrow night's final.

Asked if the Kangaroos felt they were defending their World Cup crown from eight long years ago in 2000, Fitzgibbon replied: "I think every time you play for Australia you're defending something, you hold that stigma, you don't want to be that team that loses like we did in 05.

"It hurt a lot, you [media] didn't let us forget it in a hurry and we don't want to be that team again. I think every time you play in the green and gold there's a standard that you have to uphold and the players before us and the players over the last 100 years for Australia have set that standard and they've set it really bloody high.

"We've got to be on our toes and give it our best shot."

Warriors leader Price, popular enough in New Zealand to run for Parliament if one day he feels inclined, knows that will be put on hold for the final.

"I don't know if I'll be too much in the good books on Saturday night."

A New Zealand-Australia World Cup final was as close to State of Origin as the international game could be, Price said.

"There's not going to be anything left out on the field after the 80 minutes on the weekend and at the end of the game the team that's on top of it is going to be known as the world champions so there's a lot to play for."

The Kiwis camp has not forgotten about 2005 either.

New Zealand's tournament bolter Bronson Harrison said that despite the Kiwis losing eight consecutive tests to Australia since that famous win, hope sprung eternal.

"Reflecting back on it, they [Australia] hadn't had that many losses back then and we came up with a couple that year, so hopefully we can come up with one on the weekend."

But a more recent motivator was the 30-6 tournament opening loss to Australia. "We'll reflect back to the first game probably if we want to look for revenge."

New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney was asked if it felt as though the Kiwis were sneaking up on the heavily fancied Australians. "By getting there [the final] we give ourselves an opportunity and we're well aware of the enormous task in front of us, but that doesn't frighten us. It doesn't deter us from doing our very best."