The toll from two and a half years away from home, and the reality of another season without finals football, has led to an increase in on-field blow ups among Warriors players in recent weeks, which leaders say must stop ahead of Friday’s match against the Storm.
Halfback Shaun Johnson and forwards Addin Fonua-Blake and Jazz Tevaga all acknowledged tempers had been running high of late, but also pointed to signs of improvement in recent defeats to the Eels and Raiders.
Ahead of playing at Mt Smart Stadium for the second time this year, Tevaga said his side must develop a harder edge for the final six games of the season and stop turning on each other when the chips are down.
“We are pretty mentally weak at the moment and when something goes against us it has a snowball effect, and that’s just built up [out] of frustration,” Tevaga said.
“Then guys start spraying each other – there’s been a bit of toxic sprays on the field – and that’s something we’ve got to get out of our game.
We have been through a lot of s**t this year and it’s just frustrating. I don’t want to use it as an excuse, but it definitely plays a part.
Jazz Tevaga
“I just think a lot of the boys have just had enough… then when things go wrong it’s just like ‘oh, here we go again’, that’s the sort of feeling we have been getting.
“It has been a bit ugly, but we have got to learn from that and get over it quickly.”
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The Warriors produced arguably their best opening 40 minutes of the season last week to lead the Raiders 14-0 at the break, before collapsing in dramatic fashion to leak 26 unanswered points.
It followed an at times impressive showing against the Eels in round 18, in which the Warriors were left to rue a 15-minute period which saw them give up 18 points in a 28-18 loss.
Johnson said there are positives to take from both games, despite his side having nothing to show for it on the competition ladder.
“We played two top-eight [quality] sides on the road,” Johnson said.
“We went down to Sydney and played a good side in Parramatta, competed with them in most aspects of the game but fell short, and then again in Canberra, it’s a tough place to go, we showed glimpses of what we can do.
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“I’m not happy with the result, I’m not happy with the second half [last week], but it gives me confidence and belief that we can match it with those sort of teams."
Last week’s experiment of using fullback Reece Walsh off the bench proved short lived, with the young Queenslander back in the No.1 jersey to face the Storm and Chanel Harris-Tavita replacing Daejarn Asi in the halves.
Johnson, who has played with four different halves partners this year, said while the changes aren’t ideal, it comes with the territory when you’re sitting in 13th place.
“When you’re not winning footy games you are asking the coach to come up with solutions and this is what happens,” Johnson said.
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“It’s obviously not ideal, any side, anyone you ask, you’d love to keep the same 17 together for the whole year and win footy games.
“I think we (the spine) have been pretty inconsistent. I think we have had patches of footy that has probably replicated how we have gone as a side.”