Lewis Brown lived up to the creed inked on his lower back when he made his long-awaited debut for New Zealand in Friday night's 20-10 Anzac rugby league Test loss to Australia.

The Warriors utility, who has the phrases "A dream", "A desire" and "A vision" tattooed under each other, can reflect proudly on his contribution, despite his first cap being associated with the Kiwis' 10th consecutive defeat in the annual mid-season international.

Brown, a squad member who did not take the field during last year's Four Nations, appeared destined to remain on the fringes at Skilled Park after being named as the Kiwis' 18th man.

But it proved to be a management ruse to keep the personnel change under wraps.

Adam Blair's ankle injury during training on Wednesday had Brown placed on standby, although Kiwi selectors were always going to include him on the bench ahead of an underdone Greg Eastwood.

Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney told him on Wednesday to prepare for the biggest game of his life, news he and his family successfully kept secret.

"It was a sleepless couple of nights," he said.

"Ever since I was a little boy, all I wanted to do was pull on the black jumper."

The Kangaroos led 10-0 at the half-hour mark but, six minutes later, Brown's line break produced a try for fellow debutant Matt Duffie, as the world champions regrouped after a muddling opening quarter.

For Brown, who only ever wanted to play for the Kiwis despite growing up in rugby-mad Canterbury, busting the tackles of Darren Lockyer, Justin Hodges and Sam Thaiday from a standing start after Jason Nightingale's sideways dart amounted to a dream debut.

He also had the vision to draw in the covering Billy Slater to take the heat off Duffie as he ran to the corner.

"It was a dream come true," he said.

"As a little kid, you run around the back yard and, when I was younger down in Christchurch, I used to pretend I had that black jumper on, scoring tries and making breaks."

His line break and positive outcome also calmed his nerves and made him feel he belonged at Test level.

"It's always a confidence boost when you get a break like that," he said, setting his sights on the Four Nations title defence in England in October.

"Hopefully, I'll get more and more Test football in the future. Now I have to perform for my club to be in contention for the end of year tour."

Brown, who filled in at centre so Warriors captain Simon Mannering could bolster a pack depleted by Sam Rapira's thumb injury, almost followed Duffie into the record books with a try on debut but Slater held him up over the line in the 56th minute.

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