Australia's three tries in the final quarter of the game brought them back from 8-33 down to finish on 25-33. Those 25 points being more than Australia had scored on the ground in 15 years.
Hooker Jordan Uelese, who scored the last of Australia's tries, said the side revealed its quality in the way they finished the game.
"We take great confidence that we have the ability and the manpower from one to 23 to do the job and play to the final minute," he told rugby.com.au.
"We didn't win, so it doesn't mean anything. We've put great trust into our finishers to go out there and do a job.
"Every opportunity you get to play for your country, you put your best foot forward, and do you best effort to get the result," he said.
The side was feeling the benefit of coach Dave Rennie's drive to build a bond in the playing group, and that was evident in their finish, he said.
"We're building a squad that's played 50-plus Super Rugby caps as well. We are young, but it's a team full of experience.
"We're getting along with each other off the field which is helping us put on performances on the field and want to play for each other.
"We want to build on it, and get better. We hope to put a better performance on this week that Australia will be proud of," he said.
Wing Andrew Kelleway, who scored the first try of the game off the back of a lineout move, said they needed to fix the lapses that allowed the All Blacks to pull away in the third quarter when they scored three quick tries.
It was something the All Blacks and New Zealand Super Rugby teams did consistently.
"I think we saw it through the France series and trans-Tasman, that 10-15 minutes after half-time, particularly, was where a lot of Australian teams lost it," he said.
That had been noticeable with his Rebels side.
"We felt like we were in the game most of the time, and you'd cope a blow, whether it was three, five or seven points, all of a sudden you are on the back foot, and that was the same on Saturday," he said.
Kelleway said it was probably something New Zealand sides tried to do consistently. So for the Australians, it was about understanding that and dealing with it when it happened in games.