There is a growing belief in the Wallabies camp that the Bledisloe Cup wilderness years could finally be coming to an end.

Not since 2002 have Australia held the coveted trophy first played for in 1931.

For six years, under coaches Eddie Jones, John Connolly and - for the past 12 months - Robbie Deans, the Wallabies have watched a New Zealander raise the cup.

It rankles the Australians, who talk about it with reverence while hardly ever mentioning the Tri-Nations trophy, itself last won in 2001.

Ironically it is Kiwi coach Deans who has instilled a new belief, and a new way of playing with speed and instinct, amongst a Wallabies outfit rebuilding impressively after the end of an era dominated by George Gregan and Stephen Larkham and with a supporting cast that included Chris Latham, Lote Tuqiri, and Dan Vickerman.

"We're certainly confident in our own ability but not over confident," says linchpin Matt Giteau.

"Obviously the All Blacks are No.1 in the world for a reason and last year we felt there were areas where we could have played better.

"If we're able to do that and execute well enough as a side, we're confident we can win and we can beat any side if we play well enough and execute for that full 80 minutes."

There are several factors in the Wallabies' favour.

Deans hardly knew them last year, but they still got within nine points of reclaiming the cup after a first-up win in Sydney and narrow losses after leading in Brisbane and Hong Kong.

Champion All Blacks five-eighth Dan Carter is unavailable for at least the first match of the series after he made real his country's worst nightmare by rupturing his Achilles tendon playing in France.

His replacements - Stephen Donald and Luke McAlister - have, not unexpectedly, found it difficult to fill his massive boots and the side's Test form has looked patchy in matches against France and Italy so far this season.

They even lost their first game at home to the French since 1994.

Australia's form, by contrast, has been consistent, if not spectacular, in matches against the Barbarians, Italy and France.

They've had 12 months with Deans and their line-up has had a settled look where the All Blacks have chopped and changed, mostly because of injury.

Even the unforgiving enemy territory of Eden Park, where Australia have not won a match in 23 years, could be a help in game one as construction work for the 2011 Rugby World Cup robs the ground of atmosphere.

On the other side of the coin, the Australians have some hurdles to leap.

They need to win three matches of a four-Test series, which includes games in Auckland and Wellington, but have not won a Test in the Land of the Long White Cloud since 2001, and at Eden Park since 1986.

They need to put the Lote Tuqiri saga behind them after Deans backed the Australian Rugby Union when it terminated the winger's contract and captain Stirling Mortlock supported the investigation by the players' union RUPA.

All in Camp Wallaby, however, insist there is no issue.

"The way Robbie's led the team and our focus, he's been an integral part in getting our heads focused on what we need to achieve and if our minds are elsewhere than trying to win a game of 80 minutes of footy ... then we realistically shouldn't be here," says centre Berrick Barnes.

Finally, the Wallabies need to absorb the impact of All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw's return just in time for the series.

The All Blacks experienced their own Bledisloe wilderness years between 1998-2002 and, in another irony, it was Deans who helped them reclaim the trophy as an assistant coach in 2003.

For Australia, it's been even longer - so long that names like Matt Burke, Mat Rogers, George Gregan and coach Jones were key to their last series victory.

Of the current squad, only Mortlock, George Smith, Phil Waugh and Nathan Sharpe have played in a Bledisloe-winning campaign.

"I think every time we go into these games we're confident but this time our preparation's been very, very good," says 31-year-old Sharpe.

"We've played some good football ... we've played some tough football as well and we've had a good break and the guys are fresh.

" ... This has been building and bubbling away for a while."

Barnes was 16 years old the last time Australia won the series.

"It means a hell of a lot, there's a lot of history there and you've only got to see that by the amount of exposure and things that go with John Eales with that (match-winning penalty) kick (in 2000)," he says.

"It means a hell of a lot to Australia to win this thing and to get it back and we're just the lucky blokes that get to pull on the jersey for this time around."

Deans is a professional and sees the Wallabies job as an honour, but can the New Zealander really trigger the emotion in his players that he would have felt in reverse for nearly all of his life?

"It's a collective sort of thing," says Barnes.

"A lot of us have been there before and we now know what it takes and we've got to bring that to the table.

"You don't get too many second chances at it."

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