Bradman Best will relish the sight of a familiar face opposite him when the Australian centre lives out his childhood dream in the World Cup final.

In a clash between veteran and protege, the Newcastle talent will duel with clubmate and mentor Dane Gagai for the first time when the Kangaroos face New Zealand on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium.

Best didn't feature in the Kangaroos' tournament-opening defeat of New Zealand, who have benefited from the addition of former Australian World Cup winner Gagai for this campaign.

"(Gagai) paved the way for me as a young kid coming through with the Knights," Best told AAP of the 35-year-old.

"He'd pull me aside and give me little tips here and there and help me with video; he's really helped me grow my game.

"He's been the best centre of the game for such a long time so I've got a lot of respect for him.

"I'm excited for the opportunity and challenge and can't wait to have a great battle with him."

Gagai isn't the only Newcastle-based New Zealander, with their superstar fullback Kalyn Ponga also pulling on the black jersey for the first time in this tournament.

While much of the rugby league world was shocked at Ponga's remarkable return to the field just 23 days after breaking his arm against the Kangaroos, Best had predicted a quick comeback.

"We've got a few Knights staff here at the Australian camp and they were ruling him out ... I said I reckon he might play," Best said.

"People probably don't see that side of him but he's very tough. He's very driven and he's very proud to represent his country.

"To come back from a broken arm in two or three weeks, it's a credit to him."

Their club allegiance won't count for much on Sunday, though.

"I'll be making sure I'll be testing his pain tolerance," Best quipped.

Despite being named after a cricketer, the rugby league-mad kid always dreamed of playing for the Kangaroos, and a photo outlining that goal has been trending since the tournament started.

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Yet even achieving that won't be enough to satisfy the ever-ambitious 25-year-old, whose true goal is to live up to his name.

"That little kid, he'd be proud of how far I've come," Best said.

"He'd be proud that we can tick that off but me now, I'm still not content. I've still got a job to do. I've still got a lot more boxes to tick and this will be one of them.

"I want to go down as one of the great centres of the game."

Australian Associated Press