Australian coach Justin Langer declared the battle between a "crazy" Wade and the pugnacious Wagner as "two street fighters going at it" - and Wade is ready for round two come Thursday.

"I would have thought so the way the fields were set and the way they bowled [in Perth]. I would expect no different, especially with Wagner," Wade said on Monday.

"We saw the amount of bouncers and short pitched bowling he bowled last Test, so we expect the same in this Test."

Wagner is a bouncer specialist, claiming more wickets with the short ball than any other bowler since 2016.

David Warner has spoken about the need for batsmen to have a clear plan, noting Wagner lacks the gold-plated speed of a Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, meaning his 130km/h bouncers - about 20km/h slower than his Australian rivals - are tempting to hit.

The Black Caps know this, and have set their fields accordingly, with catchers tantalisingly positioned halfway to the boundary.

Wade said he preferred not to practice facing the short ball in the nets, declaring he played more on instinct come game day.

"Not at all. I don't want to practice that too much in the nets. It's an instinctive kind of way, you play short-pitched bowling. We will go out there and see what fields they will set," he said.

"I like to pull as much as anyone else but with the fields and two back and catchers under your nose, the risk and reward for me is a little bit too much, so we will wait and see what happens in this Test."

MCG curator Matt Page has said there will be an encouraging layer of grass on the pitch, giving bowlers incentive to pitch up and look for seam or swing. Wagner also enjoys serving up fuller deliveries, as shown when he had Warner caught and bowled in the first innings.

"Wagner, he is not a one-trick pony. We saw in the first innings with the pink ball, he pitched it up and bowled really nicely. He swung it a little bit," Wade said.

"If conditions suit, I am sure he has the skill set. We saw that in Perth that he can pitch it up and do enough if he goes full. If there is not much on offer, I would suggest he will go short."

Opener Joe Burns, also preparing for his third Boxing Day Test, said it was a "good sign" when the tourists pitched short.

"Especially as an opening batter, we have seen they generally go short after their full balls haven't been working, so usually we are ahead of the game," he said.

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While much has been made of the Black Caps' tactics, aided by a soft pink ball and a Perth pitch which cracked, the Australians also went after the tourists with a short-pitched attack in their second innings. Close observers noted this could have been construed as intimidatory bowling but the umpires did not intervene.

"I am sure if they can keep out dishing short pitched, I am sure they will get a little bit back but that's just the nature of the beast," Wade said.

"Our bowlers, we work hard, try to pitch the ball up, especially with the new ball. The chance of getting a nick when you get that touch fuller with the brand new ball is high, so they did exactly the same in Perth. They pitched up and gave it a chance and once the wicket flattened out they went shorter. It's just the way it goes."