New NZ Warriors coach Stacey Jones has discovered just how far his team have fallen, as they fell to their sixth straight loss, 38-16 to Cronulla Sharks at Redcliffe.
Known as 'The Little General', Jones led the club to its first NRL Grand Final in 2002 and many hoped his legendary status within the game would spark the Warriors out of their slump.
The revival lasted about 13 minutes, after they scored two early tries for an unexpected 12-0 lead - then normal transmission resumed.
By halftime, the Sharks had overhauled their deficit and enjoyed a 24-12 lead, and while Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scored first - in spectacular style - after the break, there was very little elso to celebrate on this side of the Tasman.
Cronulla wingers Sione Katoa and Ronaldo Mulitalo - both NZ-born - took it in turns to run up their try tally for the season, with Katoa grabbing a hat-trick to trump his teammate's double.
Many of the Sharks' eight tries came from now-commonplace Warriors errors.
Fullback Reece Walsh opened the account, putting the defence in two minds, before darting across to score. Hooker Wayde Egan stretched out from dummy half to extend the advantage, both tries converted by Walsh.
Katoa scored his first try to put Cronulla on the scoreboard and Warriors centre Adam Pompey immediately compounded the situation by putting his kickoff out on the full. Powerhouse centre Siosifa Talakai capitalised on the mistake to score.
Mulitalo had his first try, after Warriors second-rower Jack Murchie was penalised for playing the ball sideways, with half Nico Hynes putting the Sharks into the lead with his conversion.
Already without middle stars Matt Lodge (departed) and Addin Fonua-Blake (injured), the Warriors then lost Ben Murdoch-Masila with a dislocated elbow, further undermining their forward power.
Katoa had his second try on halftime, when the Warriors were penalised and Cronulla began a set deep inside opposition territory.
Moments after he was ignored unmarked on the last tackle, Watene-Zelezniak showed his athleticism, when he received a pass with space to move and lept over Mulitalo's attempted tackle to score in the corner.
Walsh mixed moments of brilliance with others of bewildering craziness, bravely leaping high to take high kicks, but then throwing hospital passes behind his goal-line to put teammates under unnecessary pressure.
He was directly responsible for the Sharks' last two tries, when he juggled a kick ahead on his goal-line and counterpart Will Kennedy pounced on the loose ball to score, then threw a pass behind half Shaun Johnson and watched Katoa race 60 metres downfield to score his third.
Jones only took over from departed incumbent Nathan Brown on Tuesday and had to name his playing squad just hours later. Next week, with champions Penrith Panthers looming, he will have time to sharpen his selection axe.
Cronulla Sharks 38 (Katoa 3, Mulitalo 2, Moylan, Kennedy & Talakai tries; Hynes 3 conversions) NZ Warriors 16 (Walsh, Watene-Zelezniak & Egan tries; Walsh 2 conversions)
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