The Kiwis have no issues with having an Australian referee for Saturday night's Four Nations rugby league final, in fact they're pleased.

New Zealand winger Sam Perrett on Friday indicated the underdogs were happy to have Tony Archer in charge at Suncorp Stadium and see the back of English whistle-blower Richard Silverwood.

Silverwood refereed more to the English style, leading to slower play-the-balls, in the Kangaroos' 34-20 victory in their last round-robin match last weekend to the frustration of the Kiwis.

One of New Zealand's most dangerous dummy-half runners, Perrett felt leading NRL official Archer would ensure quicker and cleaner play around the ruck.

"I kind of noticed that in the last game that things were allowed to be a little bit slower, that's my own personal take on it," he said.

"It will be interesting to see what happens."

New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney has been careful to nurse his battle-scarred troops through the week, highlighted by the fact lock Jeremy Smith (calf) hasn't trained.

The Kiwis were disappointed with the lack of intensity and poor defence at Auckland's Eden Park and have spoken about leaving nothing in the tank after the last game of a long year.

"There's definitely a bit of talk about emptying the tank and just giving everything we've got and for good reason too - it's our last one," Perrett said.

Perrett, who fell off a couple of rushed tackles on Brent Tate last Saturday, said defence had been the biggest focus in their preparations for another Brisbane boilover - two years after their memorable World Cup triumph.

The Roosters winger said the ripple effect of their poor start, allowing Australia to make early in roads up front, had led to major dramas out wide. "It was really basic errors and we knew how simple they were when we made them," he said.

"It's a team thing and something the middles do wrong, or not the best, can affect you really badly on the edge but we've addressed all the bits and pieces and hopefully the boys will do well in the middle and we'll do well on the edge."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP