1994 Kangaroo test players such as Brett Mullins, Laurie Daley, Ricky Stuart, Steve Walters and Bradley Clyde (Canberra) and Brisbane Broncos players Michael Hancock, Steve Renouf, Allan Langer, Glenn Lazarus and Kevin Walters, along with Cronulla's Andrew Ettingshausen, Manly-Warringah's Ian Roberts and Canterbury-Bankstown's Dean Pay, were ruled ineligible to play representative football (though Pay would be one of four Bulldogs players to go back on their SL contracts and re-join the ARL, thus he was eligible and selected for the World Cup at the end of the 1995 ARL season).
With the SL players missing, eleven players were on debut for the Kangaroos for the first test in Brisbane with only fullback Tim Brasher, winger Rod Wishart and five-eighth Brad Fittler keeping their places in the team from the one that defeated France 74-0 in the last game of the Kangaroo Tour (Wishart remained on the wing, new captain Brad Fittler moved from lock to five-eight and Brasher moved from being the utility back on the bench to starting fullback).
The eleven players on test debut were - winger Brett Dallas (Canterbury-Bankstown), centres Mark Coyne (St. George) and Terry Hill (Manly-Warringah), hooker Wayne Bartrim (St. George), second-rowers Steve Menzies (Manly) and Gary Larson (North Sydney), and lock Jason Smith (Canterbury-Bankstown), plus all four reserves Trevor Gillmeister (South Queensland), Adam Muir (Newcastle), Danny Moore (Manly) and Robbie O'Davis (Newcastle).
In addition, Matt Sing (Penrith), 1994 Kangaroo tourist Jim Serdaris (Western Suburbs), Matthew Johns and Jamie Ainscough (both Newcastle), all made their Test debut over the series.
Lomax however was injured early in the first test against Australia at Suncorp Stadium, ruling him out for 10 weeks and the captaincy fell to Freeman for the rest of the game and series.
Someone forgot to tell Bob Fulton's charges that they were supposed to be a second-string side as they dismantled the Kiwis with four tries to one with all players scoring for Australia being on debut.
Rod Wishart had a perfect night with the boot, kicking 5/5, as did NZ fullback Matthew Ridge, who landed 2/2, including conversion of his side's only try scored by Stephen Kearney.
The first half, which saw a 10-all scoreline after tries to Wayne Bartrim (Australia) and Sean Hoppe (NZ) plus 3 goals each to Wishart and Ridge, was halted a couple of minutes early due to an ambulance on the ground in the south-west corner of the Sydney Football Stadium to tend to a spectator who was taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack.
Australian captain Brad Fittler and replacement Greg Florimo each kicked a field goal to lift the home side to a 20-10 win with Australia wrapping up the series 2-0.
Injuries forced changes to both line ups for the third test in Brisbane, while Australia had two more players on debut, 1994 Kangaroo hooker Jim Serdaris (Western Suburbs) and replacement outside back Jamie Ainscough (Newcastle).
New Zealand did well to hold Australia and only be down 10–6 at half time after losing fullback Matthew Ridge who was concussed trying to tackle powerful Australian winger Rod Wishart.
What they lost was Ridge's experience and directional orders to the defensive line and it showed in the second half as Australia ran in 6 tries to nil to run out 46–10 winners and take the Trans-Tasman Test series 3-0.
The two teams met the Semi-finals at the McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield, with Australia winning 30-20 after extra time after the scores had been locked 20-all at the end of the regulation 80 minutes.