Ireland captain Seán Cavanagh insists his side will be ready for the Australian backlash on Friday morning as the hosts look to overturn the slender advantage held by the visitors after the first game in Perth.
Seán Boylan's side lead by just one point after the first Test at the Subiaco Oval and expect to be put under the cosh from the off in the MCG this week.
Cavanagh is all too aware of the Australians' fitness edge but is confident that they have done enough tactically to counteract it.
"At this stage we're just fine tuning and working on kick-outs and some more tactical things, but things are going really well and we're looking to build on the foundation that we laid last Friday night," Cavanagh said after a 45-minute workout.
"The Australians, with their superior fitness, were always going to come at us in the fourth quarter last week and it took the bond and spirit that we have in the group to drag us over the line.
"We know it's going to be a lot tougher on Friday night and the Australians are going to come at us flat out on the MCG. We're going to have to step up our game just to compete, but the lads are ready to go."
Despite the captain's optimism, Boylan has a number of concerns ahead of the game.
Full forward Benny Coulter, who caused untold problems to the Aussie defence in Perth, may require a late fitness test after sustaining a back injury, while Kerry's Aidan O'Mahony (hand) and Galway's Finian Hanley (ribs) also needed X-rays yesterday.
O'Mahony, along with Leighton Glynn and Kevin Reilly, is also suffering from a heavy cold. The trio sat out training today.
Cavanagh, meanwhile, has praised the idea of the pre-match dinner in Perth, saying it allowed the players to get to know their opponents on a personal level and contributed to a more sporting occasion than previous years. "It broke down all the barriers that may have been there beforehand," he said.
"I spoke to Brent Harvey at length about his family and stuff like that and I think we can be competitive and strong on the field, but remain good friends with the Aussie players off it.
"Once we spent a bit of time with the Aussie guys we started to find out that they're actually quite similar to ourselves and you can compare and relate to the same things.
"Whenever this game's played right it's a fantastic thing to be a part of. The Australians are in the same boat as us in that you want to play at the highest level, and to pull on your country's jersey is something special."