Nelsen's Roos warning

Australia will host the Kiwis at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a “farewell” match ahead of the World Cup but Nelsen has told The World Game the All-Whites will not treat the Socceroos gently.

“I guarantee when the first tackle goes in for that game it is all going to kick off,” Nelsen said.

“It is going to be an incredible game. I am really looking forward to it. Most of these friendly games can be pretty boring. You just want to get through them – get the 90 minutes out of the way and go through the motions.

“But this is brilliant. I have a lot of Aussies on my team at Blackburn Rovers and we are already baiting each other.”

Nelsen, on track for a return to duty with Blackburn after a recent injury, said the current period for players ahead of a World Cup was a nervous one, with fear late-season injuries could rule out participation in the tournament.

“You hear all players say that you have to forget about the World Cup and you have to go in hard with your tackles during the season but getting injured is in the back of your mind,” Nelsen said. “Of course, you are concentrating on your club but the World Cup is in the back of your mind.”

Nelsen said New Zealand’s qualification for the World Cup had been an emotional experience for the players boosted by the support of the Kiwi public.

“I have never played in a stadium like that in New Zealand in the qualifying match against Bahrain with the fans and the passion and the emotion,” Nelsen said.

“You don’t get that in virtually any sporting arenas in New Zealand, really. It was a night that you couldn’t have made any better with all the drama that went on. It made for an emotional night.

“It has broken the mould for the traditional sports fan who has been going to rugby or cricket. They have been saying, well actually, we are quite enjoying this.”