A potentially serious injury to Greg Inglis took the gloss of Darren Lockyer's triumphant Queensland farewell in the green and gold as Australia defeated a spirited New Zealand 20-10 at Skilled Park on Friday night.

Billy Slater scored a double - his second 13 minutes from time sealing the result - with debutants Jamal Idris and Jharal Yow Yeh also crossing the stripe for the Kangaroos.

But the recurrence of a hip injury Inglis had repaired in the off-season created the biggest fuss, particularly with his NRL side South Sydney already facing a high injury toll.

"He's hurt the hip that he had surgery on in the summer, I'm not sure how bad it is but he couldn't continue," Australia coach Tim Sheens said.

"I'd imagine that's not going to be comfortable for him or for Souths for that matter."

Team doctor Paul Annett said it was too early to know how long Inglis could be out.

"At this stage it looks like his hip joint but it's a bit early to tell," Annett said.

"He'll probably need an MRI to see how bad it is."

While the fatigue from a game in which there were only two penalties - both to the Kiwis - threatened to take the smile off Lockyer's face, there was plenty of joy for the veteran skipper.

"It wasn't a flashy Test but it was a real gutsy performance by both teams," Lockyer said.

"The middle of that second half we defended really well when they were coming off their line and that turned the game our way.

"My arm was getting a bit tired high-fiving everyone (after the game). It was a relief to get the win - it puts a smile on your face straight away.

"Tonight was a winning lap - I hope there are a few more."

The loss left the Kiwis without a win in the mid-year Test since 1998, but coach Stephen Kearney praised his men for the way they hung in the game after losing Sam Rapira after the first tackle with a broken thumb and conceding a try to Slater inside the opening 90 seconds.

"All the tries were on the back of errors coming out of trouble for us which was a disappointing thing, but I couldn't fault the effort," Kearney said.

"The lads kept turning up for each other. That's a positive sign for us and I know the group are very disappointed with the result - it seems a bit same old, same old, but I know we're taking steps in the right direction."

Idris went on for Inglis and dragged Jason Nightingale over the sideline, the Kiwi winger's desperation to keep the ball in play backfiring as Lockyer combined with man of the match Paul Gallen to put Yow Yeh over in the corner, that touch better than Yow Yeh's first effort when the ball rolled between his legs.

A Benji Marshall steal off Johnathan Thurston led to Lewis Brown - a late call-up after Greg Eastwood was scratched from the bench - brushing off three Broncos before finding a flying Matt Duffie who touched down on debut, Simon Mannering coming with an effort reminiscent of Scott Sattler's amazing tackle in the 2003 grand final to deny Idris on the stroke of halftime.

Yow Yeh missed out on a double by centimetres when chasing a Hodges kick, but the Kiwis gave themselves no chance when five straight sets ended with a dropped ball, the last from Bronson Harrison proving decisive as Ben Hannant flipped the ball to Slater who raced 70 metres for his second and a 16-4 lead.

Idris confirmed the result when he crashed over nine minutes from time, Hohaia giving the large Kiwi contingent in the 26,301 crowd something to celebrate with a try on the siren.

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