The poor results of this year continue to haunt the Kiwis with no players in the 2017 squad named in Rugby League World magazine's Team of the Year for the first time in six years.
Former Kiwi-turned-Tongan representative Jason Taumalolo earned his second consecutive selection from the UK-based magazine - he and Fijian winger Suliasi Vunivalu were the only two players in the World XIII selected from outside of Australia or England.
However Taumalolo was one of only two players in the team to receiver maximum votes from a judging panel made of 12 rugby league journalists to be selected for the team - Australian captain and hooker Cameron Smith was the other.
The decision to reject New Zealand for Tonga will have a huge impact in the future, Tony Kemp believes.
Australia dominated the line-up claiming eight spots in the 13 alongside three Englishman.
Veteran prop James Graham was one part of the trio, setting a record for English players with this being his ninth selection for the team.
He was joined by winger Jermaine McGillvary and centre Kallum Watkins while veteran Australian playmakers Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk also made the cut.
However, Rugby League World gave emphasis to the importance of Taumalolo and Vunivalu - the duo were the first players from tier two rugby league nations to make the team since Semi Radrada (Fiji) and Anthony Milford (Samoa) in 2015.
Prior to that, only two other tier two representatives had ever made the cut – Kieron Cunningham (Wales) in 2000 and Papua New Guinea's Adrian Lam in 1995.
World XIII
1 Billy Slater (Australia)
2 Jermaine McGillvary (England)
3 Will Chambers (Australia)
4 Kallum Watkins (England)
5 Suliasi Vunivalu (Fiji)
6 Michael Morgan (Australia)
7 Cooper Cronk (Australia)
8 James Graham (England)
9 Cameron Smith (Australia)
10 Aaron Woods (Australia)
11 Boyd Cordner (Australia)
12 Matt Gillett (Australia)
13 Jason Taumalolo (Tonga)
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