Kurtley Beale believes there is a good feeling among the Wallabies at the moment and says an improved second half showing has given them confidence they can take it to the All Blacks.
After trailing 54-6 at the 48-minute mark, the Wallabies restored some pride by scoring four second-half tries.
It was merely consolation though, given that when things mattered, the Wallabies were clueless against an All Blacks outfit that executed a game plan to near perfection, at least in the opening 50 minutes.
As focus turns to the Wallabies' next match against New Zealand in Dunedin on Saturday, players are already trying to put a positive spin on what occurred at ANZ Stadium.
"If we can focus purely on ourselves and put in that effort we did in that second half then we've got a lot of belief that we can take it to them," Beale said. "The boys are feeling it but obviously there's a lot of promise there that we can take from that second half. I thought we bounced back really well and we can take all that positivity into next week.
"We are building and I feel there's a really good feeling amongst the group at the moment and that first half we can learn a lot about ourselves and go into next week with a positive mind frame."
Coach Michael Cheika has to decide if there needs to be a major overhaul of the starting XV after Australia conceded eight tries in 48 minutes.
One gets the feeling there won't be many changes but the likes of centre Samu Kerevi and Stephen Moore will no doubt be on the top of the hit-list if there is a shake-up.
Tevita Kuridrani, who came off the bench, scored a try and was a shining light for the home side.
"Tevita had a tremendous game coming off the bench," said Wallabies assistant Stephen Larkham. "He was injected relatively early in that second half ??? to try and add a little bit of energy.
"We'll have a selection meeting this afternoon [Sunday] and again tomorrow to make sure we get the right team out there on the weekend."
Larkham felt Beale was a little "tentative" in the early stages of his first game in a Wallaby jersey since the 2015 Rugby World Cup before finding his feet and providing auspicious service to Australia's other backs.
"I think it was exactly that," Beale said. "As the game progressed, I felt more comfortable. I felt like the team was starting to get a roll-on and a few momentum changes and we were lucky to pounce and take our opportunities."
For all the hope and optimism leading into the match, Australian rugby fans were gobsmacked to see the Wallabies put to the sword in such emphatic fashion in the opening half.
Players are hurting and Beale has urged fans to continue to back the team despite the underwhelming performance.
"We are working hard, we do care and a lot of the boys love playing rugby for Australia," Beale said. "For us as a group, we're just going to keep focused on playing rugby and try and deliver the right brand of rugby that everyone wants to see. We've just got to keep focused on that and hopefully everyone can keep sticking by us."
Captain Michael Hooper said in the lead-up to the game the fact a smaller portion of players than normal had beaten the All Blacks meant no one would be burdened by the scars of losing.
However, it showed that when the pressure was on, and the Wallabies needed someone to stand up and take control, doubt began to creep in.
"We're all at this level for a reason," Beale said. "All the backs have been working and interacting with each other over the last three to four weeks. You can tell that we're all tight, we've all got a good understanding of each other, so whoever's thrown into the different positions, we've got full faith in."
