It's never nice to lose, especially the way we did last weekend against the Sea Eagles.
Questions start getting asked and pressure starts building. That is professional sport.
If there is a positive to come out of the Manly game, and there aren't many, it's the way all of the boys reacted immediately after the game.
The first thing we did when we got back to the hotel was get together for a players' only team meeting. The entire squad was there.
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Advertise with NZME.It was the second week in a row we had a pretty average performance. We had to talk openly and honestly, and those sessions are never nice.
But sometimes brutal home truths are necessary though. We are all accountable to one another and I don't think anyone was happy with their performance.
Was there something we needed to address?
The funny thing is there didn't appear to be any obvious issues coming into the game. Everyone seemed okay, but once we kicked off the energy wasn't there.
Maybe we have been waiting for someone to spark us, or make it happen, instead of going out there and getting it ourselves.
Last year we worked really hard for each other, went after teams together. We need to get that back quickly, which I am confident we will.
Looking ahead to the Titans game tonight, it's tough on Adam Keighran missing out on selection but it's not uncommon for young guys.
Look at the Melbourne Storm last year — they went through three or four options at halfback as they were adjusting to life without Cooper Cronk.
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Advertise with NZME.Coach Stephen Kearney has his own feel on that, watches everyone in training and games so he knows what he is doing. Obviously he has seen something to trigger that decision.
In any case Adam will get better for it and come back more motivated than ever.
Chanel Harris-Tavita comes into the side and he's a talented kid with a great attitude who is always keen to learn. In some ways it is not an ideal time to make a debut but sometimes it never is. You could wait a few more weeks and then it could be even harder for us. I think he is ready to go.
It's important for Chanel to not worry about any outside noise. When you make your debut, there are a lot of friends and family and it's fairly emotional. You need to get yourself organised and prepped as early as possible so you can relax on game day. There is no pressure on him in terms of directing the team around, but he knows his role.
The Titans haven't had much luck this season. They've got a really good roster but have been beaten by teams that are travelling well early in the season (Sharks, Rabbitohs, Raiders). They will also be boosted by getting their halves back this week.
But we have to focus on ourselves. We have been very disappointed by the performances over the last two games and need to turn things around.
