Report: GB 8-12 Australia

"It was a great game of football - it had everything," he said. "The standard of football has been magnificent.

"Great Britain's difficulty will be doing that again next week.

"Their ball control was very high - they were up for it and they've got to do that again against a New Zealand side who will have had a week off."

We'd have been satisfied with a draw Australia skipper Danny Buderus

Bennett praised the impact of wing Luke Rooney, whose two tries included the last-minute winner.

"I didn't realise what a good finisher he is," Bennett said. "He's like an old British winger, a great finisher, and we don't have too many of those in our game - he's a great asset."

There was plenty of controversy in the build-up to the game over the appointment of Kiwi referee Glen Black but, despite voicing doubts, Bennett was pleased his overall display.

"I was happy with the referee," he added. "I thought he did a very good job - I was surprised about that."

Kangaroos skipper Danny Buderus believes the intensity of the National Rugby League in Australia was a big factor in the Aussies coming out on top.

"We'd have been satisfied with a draw, but we're used to playing in a competition where games can go either way," he said.

"When teams line up for a field goal like we were doing it sometimes opens up the play and that's what happened."