Australia's set piece struggled early in the Bledisloe Cup series opener before finding some rhythm as the tourists fell agonisingly short of their first win over the All Blacks across the Tasman since 2001.

Now Parling has backed Fainga'a in after being asked whether he has done enough to retain his place in the XV for game two in Auckland on Sunday.

"Mate, we've just got to back all the boys haven't we? At the moment we've got a very strong team and I think we've got a very strong squad as well, so we'll keep looking at things but we've got to back the boys in," Parling said.

"People are saying a couple of lineouts were lost but they lost a couple as well. The issue there was what came off those three; big moment losses because they ended up going down the end of the pitch from one, eventually scoring, [while] the other one was that overthrown [lineout] in the four-man.

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"But then they lost two in the second half, so I thought they handled the pressure well at half-time."

Beauden Barrett is poised to make his return to give the Wallabies a fresh headache to contend with in search of a series lead.

The All Blacks star was a late scratching for game one but is firming for a return in the second match of the series.

The return of the two-time World Rugby player of the year makes the prospect of Australia's first win at Eden Park since 1986 seem all the more difficult to attain.

Parling says his troops can play a huge role in negating Barrett's impact despite his reputation for breaking gold hearts in recent years.

"He's obviously a good player, but the other guys that are in there are good players so I wouldn't make it more than what it is if he comes back in," Parling said.

"He'll be replacing someone else who is a very good player. In terms of forwards nullifying him, we can do our job up front and try to reduce the quality of ball he has, [that] can certainly help.

"We'll get guys fresh, make sure we recover and we'll get prepped and go again."

So too can an improved Wallabies outing at the set piece, with the side desperate to reverse struggles felt at lineout time in Wellington.

Wallabies front-rower Allan Alaalatoa says Parling has played the role of the "lineout guru" in camp with scrum doctor Petrus du Plessis still conducting sessions via video calls.

"[Parling] lets the front-row reiterate the points Petrus is sending across," Alaalatoa said.

"It's also good as well, it allows an opportunity for players in the front-row to speak up on what they want from their back five, and hold each other accountable to that."

BLEDISLOE CUP GAME TWO

Sunday - All Blacks v Wallabies at Eden Park, 2pm.