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There was never any doubt that Australia would run away with things against Italy, which makes it a bit of a tough sell to the average punter.
That's been the way of things through much of the tournament. In all likelihood, the group stage will have just two matches decided by single digits and Australia's 66-6 victory over the Italians was no exception.
The Kangaroos played some sharp football with Latrell Mitchell and Valentine Holmes producing some thrilling touches as Nathan Cleary and Daly Cherry-Evans endured a stalemate in the battle for the halfback jersey but it's clear Australia, like England and New Zealand and the rest of the teams bound for the knockout stage, are ready for a hard fight.
They're not the only ones. International rugby league is an entertainment product and even the most rusted-on fan gets sick of lopsided scorelines.
A tournament cannot survive on pride alone and there must be a tweak in the format for the next edition to ensure there's at least a few compelling clashes in the pool stages.
But the group stage of the World Cups is never really about the big name nations. Their tournament only starts when the stakes go up another notch. Everything else is just a prelude.
Australia in particular is only warming up. In these early days the Kangaroos can feel a little inevitable. They are fast and furious, but how much can that really matter if there's nothing else to overtake?
They are the darkness on the edge of town that cannot be beaten, only survived, and this part of the tournament is not about them.
Until the knockout stages, this tournament is about the other side of the rugby league world, the players for whom this is the great adventure of their sporting lives.
The best moments of the World Cup thus far have come when those players have had their moments in the sun and if you care to look, these shining seconds are everywhere – like when Ben Jones-Bishop scored Jamaica's first World Cup try, sparking delirium among the Reggae Warriors despite a heavy loss to New Zealand.
Or when Ireland's Ronan Michael, a proud son of Balbriggan who hadn't even heard of rugby league five years ago but now plays professionally in England, roared the Irish anthem with tears in his eyes before his World Cup debut against the Kiwis. He later described the tournament as the best three weeks of his life.
Nobody copped a bigger loss through the group stages than the Greeks and they were lucky to avoid conceding a century in their 94-4 loss to England but nobody's stock rose higher given it's a miracle they were here to begin with.
Steve Georgallis's side played qualifying matches against Ukraine within spitting distance of a warzone and hosted home games at midnight in undisclosed locations because rugby league was illegal in their country until just a few months ago.
Their first World Cup campaign might have ended with three big losses but they scored four tries, each of which was a highlight reel effort, and their journey gained an exposure that never would have come otherwise.
Italy got their own second of magic in St Helen's, even as Australia ran in try after try. The biggest cheer of the night came when backrower Ronaldo Palumbo was first to a Jack Campagnolo grubber and scored the Italians' lone try.
It might not have the fans dancing on the streets of Rome, but it was a real moment, the highlight of the match by a mile. It was a start, something to build on, and that's all any of the minnows can really ask for.
And you can be sure that if rugby league ever does gain more of a foothold in Italy, as unlikely as that might sound, there will be players and coaches and fans who were inspired to make it happen because of something like that when an Italian footballer outpointed an Australian one, even if it was just for a second.
Growing the game on the back of such lopsided results might sound unrealistic, but it is possible.
The biggest win in New Zealand Test history didn't come against Greece or Italy or Ireland, it came against Tonga back in 1999 in a 74-0 drubbing.
It would have been easy to decide they weren't worth the trouble back then and it would have robbed rugby league of its most vibrant and exciting international side.
Players declaring for their ancestry might have helped matters, but for that to happen they needed something to go back to – the flame had to be kept alive.
A blowout might be boring but it's better than no game at all and it can be a bridge to better times, even if they're way off in the distance.