Warriors coach Stephen Kearney has once again blamed poor execution and a lack of composure for his team's dismal 17-10 loss to the North Queensland Cowboys.
The Warriors were their own worst enemy at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday, finishing with a 68 percent completion rate, while ill-discipline cost them during crucial stages of the match.
Both teams scored two tries, but two penalty goals from Cowboys centre Jordan Kahu and a field goal from captain Michael Morgan proved the difference in front of 11,395 fans.
But the Warriors should have scored more, and without injured chief play-maker Blake Green - who was out with a groin injury - they struggled to execute in the final third.
Coach Kearney noted there were plenty of comparisons to last week's collapse against South Sydney, in which the Warriors blew a 12-point lead against the high-flying Rabbitohs.
"In a way it feels a bit like last week, to be honest," said Kearney. "Just one that we let slip.
"I thought we did some really good things out there but lacked composure at times, and just really didn't do a good enough job in trying to build some pressure.
"We had a number of opportunities to build some pressure and just didn't execute well and it frustrated the group.
"We could have done better in the last 20 minutes, but I thought we could have done a lot better right through the game."
Through six games this season, the Warriors have only two wins - against the bottom two teams on the standings - and things won't get any easier for Kearney's men. They have a short turnaround to their next game against the Storm in Melbourne for their annual Anzac Day clash at AAMI Park.
The Storm have won their last six against the Warriors, and if the New Zealand side want to snap that streak, they'll likely have to do it without star winger David Fusitu'a.
Fusitu'a was forced from the field with a rib injury late in the second half, and Kearney doesn't think he'll be available for Thursday's game.
"Given it's a five-day turnaround to our next match I would anticipate he will be unavailable. It didn't look good," Kearney said.
"Looked like possibly rib cartilage, but I'm not 100 percent sure."
In last year's Anzac Day clash the Warriors were pummelled 50-10, and Kearney insists there won't be a repeat of that scoreline this time around.
"The circumstances were a little bit different last year. We came off a really good win against the Dragons [in Auckland] into a really tough match which we anticipated against Melbourne, and we weren't ready for that," Kearney said.
"But we will be ready for this one."
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