Mata'utia, who is the youngest player to have ever pulled on an Australian jersey, would have been a national hero if touch judge Jason Walsh hadn't ruled the final pass from fellow teenager Dylan Walker to have been forward but it was a similar story for all nations during the tournament.

England would have made the final if video referee Bernard Sutton had overuled his brother Gerard and awarded an 80th minute try to winger Ryan Hall after he appeared to ground the ball with his fingernail in the 16-12 loss to Australia in Melbourne, and they still may have qualified if two conversion attempts by Gareth Widdop hadn't hit the uprights in their 14-12 defeat by New Zealand.

Even Samoa were entitled to feel hard done by after losing 32-26 to England in an opening match in which goalkicking proved the difference after both teams scored six tries and a controversial 14-12 loss to the Kiwis in Whangerei.

While some have pointed to the lack of experience in the Kangaroos line-up as a reason for them becoming the first Australian team to suffer successive defeats to New Zealand in the same season since 1953, it was 18-year-old Mata'utia, 19-year-old Walker and stand-in five-eighth Daly Cherry-Evans who produced the last gasp play that almost snatched victory after fellow Test rookie Ben Hunt had scored in the 76th minute.

Mata'utia, Walker and Hunt were among eight debutants blooded by Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens in the four-week tournament and most showed they had a future at Test level, which is just as well as the majority of the players unavailable for the Four Nations will either be near the end of their careers or already retired before the next World Cup in 2017.

In fact, of the players who have been mainstays of the Australian team in recent years, only captain Cameron Smith, Greg Inglis and the Morris twins, Brett and Josh, are contracted beyond 2017 and it is unlikely that many of the others will play on after their current deals expire.

Among them are five-eighth Johnathan Thurston, halfback Cooper Cronk, centre Justin Hodges and forwards Paul Gallen, Greg Bird, Corey Parker, Luke Lewis, Beau Scott, Ryan Hoffman and Robbie Farah.

Thurston comes off contract with North Queensland just before the World Cup and the star five-eighth will be 34-years-old, while Cronk will be 33 when his current deal with Melbourne expires in 2016.

Star fullback Billy Slater, who is off contract at the end of next season, will also turn 34-years-old before the World Cup, as will Lewis, who is signed to Cronulla until 2016.

Gallen turns 34 next season, while Hodges and Parker will both be 34-years-old when their deals with Brisbane finish in 2016 and Bird, Scott, Hoffman and Farah all come off contract as 33-year-olds in 2017.

Cowboys prop Matt Scott is also off contracted in 2017 and turns 32 before the World Cup, as do fellow Queensland forwards Sam Thaiday and Nate Myles, whose current deals expire at the end of next season.

Smith will be 34 at the World Cup and is contracted to the Storm until 2018, making it almost certain that he will again be given the task of leading the Kangaroos as officials are privately concerned about the lack of hooking options if he was unavailable.

Brett and Josh Morris are also contracted to Canterbury until 2018 and they too will be 32 if selected for the World Cup, while Inglis and Darius Boyd, whose new Brisbane deal expires in 2017, turn 30.

In contrast, five members of New Zealand's 24-man Four Nations squad - Simon Mannering, Manu Vatuvei, Jason Nightingale, Adam Blair and Lewis Brown will be 31 if they are selected for the World Cup, while Thomas Leuluai will be 32.

But the Kiwis, who were also missing the likes of Ben Matulino, Elijah Taylor, Alex Glenn, are also set for an injection of young talent after 21-year-old Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and 19-year-old Dallin Watene-Zelezniak were ruled out of the Four Nations with injury.

England also have a youthful squad building towards the World Cup, with captain Sean O'Loughlin (31) being the only current player over 30. Canterbury prop James Graham is 29, while halfback Matt Smith, secondrower Joel Tomkins and centre Michael Shenton are all 27-years-of-age.

Possible Australian World Cup team: Greg Inglis; Brett Morris, Michael Jennings, Dylan Walker, Sione Mata'utia; Daly Cherry-Evans, Ben Hunt; Matt Scott, Cameron Smith (c), Aaron Woods, Josh Jackson, Matt Gillett, Boyd Cordner. Interchange: Matt Moylan, Josh Papalii, David Klemmer, Trent Merrin.

Kangaroos veterans off contract before World Cup and their age in 2017

2015 (off contract)

Paul Gallen (36 years old)
Billy Slater (34)
Sam Thaiday(32)
Nate Myles (32)

2016

Justin Hodges (35)
Corey Parker (35)
Luke Lewis (34)
Cooper Cronk (34)

2017

Johnathan Thurston (34)
Matt Scott (32)
Greg Bird (33)
Beau Scott (33)
Robbie Farah (33)
Ryan Hoffman (33)
Darius Boyd (30)