It was the man of the match performance that nearly never was, with Kangaroos lock Paul Gallen revealing he approached coach Tim Sheens about pulling out hours before Friday night's Test win over New Zealand.

So worried by a calf injury which had limited him to just one training session in the build-up to the trans-Tasman Test, Gallen knocked on Sheens' hotel room door at 2pm on Friday to tell the coach he would not be right to take on the Kiwis.

"My calves were gone - I was absolutely stressed," Gallen said.

"I said to Tim 'Mate, I'm no good'.

"I didn't know how he'd take it - he told me to go back to my room, settle down, relax, go read my playbook and take it easy and if anything happens we've got Beau Scott there ready to go.

"He made me feel really comfortable - I was really stressed."

Not only did Gallen play, but he produced arguably his best game in the green and gold.

While his 120 metres and 40 tackles would represent a run of the mill game statistically for the workaholic lock, he set the tempo with a series of punishing hits while he also showing a deft side as he combined with skipper Darren Lockyer to put Jharal Yow Yeh over for his first-half try.

Gallen was concerned his injury - which has been plaguing him for the past few weeks - would make him a passenger out on the field, with memories of his disappointing Origin performance of two years ago when he carried a shoulder injury into the match in the back of his mind.'

"It played up all week," Gallen said of the calf injury.

"I got through training the day before the game and we went for the team walk and after that it was just aching.

"I didn't know what to do.

"That Origin where I was injured in 2009 and I didn't have the best game and we got beaten, that was on my mind again - I don't want to let anyone down.

"I just went out there and played footy, but I don't ever want to have a preparation like that again."

What the game did show was that Gallen will be an important figure when the Australians look to regain the Four Nations trophy in England later this year.

While admitting it wasn't the prettiest of games, Sheens said the match was perfect preparation for what they would face abroad, particularly under the control of Super League referees after Friday night's whistleblower Richard Silverwood handed out just two penalties for the game - with both going to New Zealand.

"I think we can look forward to more of that - England is exactly like that," Sheens said.

"I hope my guys remember that, because in England you cop exactly the same - no yardage, slow play the ball, heavy grounds, in your face defence all the time.

"You've got to adjust to it, played under Test conditions where you cop a bit as well.

"We're not used to it - you've got to adapt very quickly, how he's going to adjudicate the game."

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