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As stated by captain the England captain, the national team were handed a harsh "wake-up call" as Australia won the prestigious series.

The Kangaroos' decisive 14-4 win at the stadium in Liverpool on the weekend gave them a 2-0 series lead, making the upcoming final match in Leeds a dead rubber.

Shaun Wane's side had entered the series dreaming of inflicting Australia to their maiden Ashes setback since the 1970s.

Over the last 24 months, they had secured a clean sweep over Tonga and a success over Samoa. But as the historic rivalry resumed after a long break, England were unable to take the next step against the top-ranked team.

"No excuses from us. There were enough sessions to get it right on the pitch, and I don't think we've managed that," the captain stated.

"Australia deserve praise. They were good defensively. But we've got loads to work on. We're probably not as strong as we expected we were entering this series.

"This serves as a necessary wake-up call for us, and [there is] loads to develop."

The Kangaroos 'Arrive and Are Merciless'

Having been comprehensively defeated in an mistake-ridden performance at Wembley, Wane side's were markedly enhanced on Saturday back in the rugby league heartlands of England's north.

In an inspiring initial stages, England elicited errors from the Kangaroos and had superior positioning and ball control, but importantly did not convert opportunities on the points tally.

Significantly, the English team have now scored just one try over the series so far, with St Helens hooker Daryl Clark barging over late on in the loss in the capital.

In contrast, the Kangaroos have accumulated six in two games - and when blunders began to affect the England's play just after the break, it was a case of when, not if, they were going to be heavily penalized.

First the playmaker scored, and then so too did the forward. From being tied at four-all, England were 10 points adrift.

"Proud for the majority of the game. I thought for 70 minutes we were competitive," said the coach.

"The switch off for a brief period after half-time cost us immensely. The first try was avoidable and should not be scored in a top-level game.

"The team is deeply disappointed. Extremely pleased the squad had a dig but so disappointed with that second-half lapse, which cost us dearly."

While the upcoming global tournament in Oceania is just under 12 months away, the team's short-term goal will be on trying to regain respect, avoiding a series whitewash and eradicating the errors that frustrated the coach.

"I hoped to see additional intensity directed toward the opposition. I wanted us to apply sustained attack in the game - we fell short last week," added the 61-year-old.

"We did this week. The issue is a bit of detail in our offensive play where we could have put them under greater stress. We need to defend both [tries] more effectively.

"Fair play to the Kangaroos - that is no slight to them. They turn up and are ruthless when they capitalize, and we weren't, but defensively we must do enhance.

"The Australians will be obsessed to win the series whitewash and we need to be obsessed to make it a respectable scoreline. I've told that to the squad. This must become our obsession. It will be a tough week but the side that strives for it the greatest will secure victory next week."

Competitive Edge Needs to Elevate in Super League

The English side have participated in a similar number of international fixtures to Australia since the last World Cup in recent years.

Yet Wane thinks that the quality of the Australian league - and level of the State of Origin matches between New South Wales and Queensland - offer a more effective grounding for performing at the top of the global stage than what is on offer in the northern hemisphere.

Wane commented that the congested domestic league fixture schedule left little opportunity for him to coach his players during the campaign, which will only raise more issues around how England can narrow the difference to the Kangaroos before travelling to Oceania in the next World Cup.

"The Australians play a large number of internationals in their league," Wane stated.

"England play 10-15 a year. It's crucial highly competitive games to boost the competition and boost our chances of succeeding in these high-stakes fixtures.

"It was impossible to even practice with the players. We never got on the field in the campaign and I had the total cooperation of everyone in the domestic competition.

"I have also been in the position of the head coaches that must to win games. The league is that tight. It's a pity but that's not the cause we were defeated today."