Australia probably can't win when it comes to the Rugby League World Cup, even if they do what everyone expects and lift the trophy on November 22.

For the $1.20 favourites, the World Cup is a bit like being Manchester United in the A-League, and that brings its own kind of pressure.

All hell would break loose if the Kangaroos did not win for the first time since 1972, while a seventh straight title would bring on the inevitable question of just where the "world" fits into "World Cup".

Australia's players got a taste of what a loss would mean when they went down in the 2005 Tri-Nations series to the Kiwis, their first series loss in 27 years.

The backlash was fierce - and still hurts.

"We got spanked by New Zealand and, for a lot of the boys, you can't forget that," said veteran prop Petero Civoniceva.

"I know how much that moment hurt for us.

"But full credit to (coach) Ricky (Stuart), he's embraced what it means to play for Australia and he's got ex-players in to speak to the boys and it means so much to the boys."

Stuart vowed to bring back the passion for the Australian jersey when he took the helm in 2006 and, after scraping home in a competitive 2006 Tri-Nations, his side has been untroubled by the rebuilding Kiwis in their only three Tests since.

Stuart and the Australian selectors responded to the unforeseen absences of Mark Gasnier, Greg Bird and Willie Mason with a squad which combines Manly's premiership-winning form with the enthusiasm of fresh faces.

Gone are rep team regulars like Braith Anasta, Matt Cooper, Carl Webb, and Jarryd Hayne.

In come Terry Campese, Joel Monaghan, Josh Perry, Scott Prince, David Williams and Darius Boyd who replaced injured Broncos teammate Justin Hodges.

Despite fullback Brett Stewart's injury-enforced withdrawal there are still five Sea Eagles in Australia's 24-man squad following the club's record 40-0 grand final win - four more than made the Kangaroos 17 in their last Test outing in May.

After three straight State of Origin series victories, Queenslanders are expected to dominate the starting line-up and could make up the entire backline.

"All the boys that were named are in form and I think the Australian selectors expect the best out of us," Civoniceva said.

"I think it's fantastic, the fact that we have so many Manly representatives, they've been the form side all year and their selections are warranted."

Australia have won nine of the 12 league World Cups played sporadically and in a variety of formats since 1954.

They first tasted victory in 1957, when they topped the four-team table in a tournament played in Australia and New Zealand.

They won the last version of the event, which featured 16 teams, with a 40-12 final win over the Kiwis in Manchester in 2000.

The Kangaroos' main threat is again likely to be New Zealand, who are still chasing their first ever World Cup.

"It's always going to be a tough battle against New Zealand but the fact that they've got Wayne Bennett also as assistant coach (and) they've got tremendous talent," Civoniceva said.

"Playing against Great Britain in 2006, there wasn't much between the sides. And it's unbelievable the professionalism of their league, it's almost NRL level now so it will be a tough battle.

"You've got sides like Samoa and Tonga, there's plenty of guys there with NRL experience and I think it's going to be fantastic football."

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