Rugby League World Cup: What the coaches and captains said after the final between Australia and Samoa

James Tedesco and Latrell Mitchell both went over for braces in the victory.

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga believes the victory in Manchester is the start something special.

He said: “It’s been long journey, but the whole tournament has been great. This is only the beginning for this team.

"I can assure you that all these guys are going to be together for the next three, four, five, six years.

"The expectation is that we win tournaments so it's not a burden to us, we carry that with great humility and respect. We understand that all but our most ardent supporters don't want us to win, but we accept that and we get on with business."

Tedesco added: “This is probably at the top of my career, captaining my country to a World Cup. How many people can say they’ve done that? It’s been a special period.

"We've got a really special group, we all got along from the start. The last few years we've not been able to wear this jersey and it was burning for a lot of guys to get it back."

Samoa did enjoy strong periods of play during the final, but could not make the most of some of their good field positions.

Head coach Matt Parish said: "We probably never got close enough to put enough pressure on them or take our chances like we should have.

“The result is disappointing but certainly not the effort or commitment of these guys, I couldn’t be prouder or happier with the group.”

Meanwhile, captain Junior Paulo spoke about how he hopes more international fixtures will take place in the next few years.

He stated: “Unfortunately the journey comes to an end and we all go our separate ways but it will stick with us. In history, those names will always be alongside each other and we can look back and be proud of the achievement we’ve been able to do.

"We need to find a way to block these games out for international rugby league moving forward.

"We're seeing how much it means to everyone and it's certainly what this campaign has showcased.”