League: Warriors lose fifth straight

Joshua Mansour and Tyrone Peachey of the Panthers celebrate after Peachey scored a try as Sam Tomkins reacts. Photo / Getty

Panthers 24
Warriors 10
You can put a line through the 2015 season for the Warriors. Their playoff hopes have looked dead for a few weeks but this 24-10 loss to Penrith has put them out of their misery.

The Warriors can forget about finals football and now just focus on trying to end the season on some sort of a high. It's actually hard to see where a win might come from, especially with their remaining opponents, but you never know.

At least this game wasn't - thankfully - the abject surrender we saw against the Sea Eagles and Dragons; there was some starch and spine. But it was still a disappointing display; an erratic, error ridden first half killed any hopes for the Warriors and in the end Penrith comfortably snapped a five game losing streak.

On the positive side, Tui Lolohea looks better with every outing. If anything, he needs to see more of the ball, rather than Chad Townsend leading the play making duties. Charlie Gubb continues to bring energy to every performance, Sam Lisone was busy and Sam Tomkins did everything he could.

Even though their season was already over, the Panthers were much hungrier last night. Whether it was the second effort on defence, the kick chase, the work from marker or just downright urgency, Penrith were a level above their opponents. Confidence is down at the Warriors - that's understandable - but surely that is when you need to focus extra hard on the basics? That wasn't evident in the first half.

Coach Andrew McFadden likes to extol virtues from the Art of War; instead most of the first spell was the art of self destruction from the visitors and they were chasing the game from then on.

This isn't a great Penrith side - they have 10 players in the casualty ward, including Peter Wallace, Matt Moylan and Dean Whare - but any team can look good with constant gifts. The Warriors coughed up ball with silly passes, aimless kicks and cheap penalties (though the referees also came up with some head scratchers). Most galling of all, their goal line defence had all the fortitude of a paper bag, as the Panthers strolled across for three soft tries.

They weren't helped by another poor effort from Townsend, who looks like he has lost his mojo. Normally you'll see a bomb sail over the sideline maybe once or twice in a season; Townsend is managing it once or twice a match and it's killing the team. At a crucial stage in the first half the Warriors had set themselves inside the Penrith 22, only for Townsend to kick out on the full.

Penrith had a free pass out of their half and two sets later Regan Campbell-Gillard strolled over between the posts, extending Penrith's lead after Lewis Brown has scored his customary try against his old club in the ninth minute. Later right on halftime another misplaced fifth tackle kick - not helped by a poor chase - led to the Panthers going coast to coast to score.

It was unfortunate, because there were good moments. A Charlie Gubb offload - which was in the best traditions of Ali Lauitiiti, as he flicked it out of the back of his hand as he was falling - put Sam Tomkins under the posts in the 31st minute. It stopped a try drought of more than 150 minutes for the Warriors and was also the Englishman's first of the season.

Four minutes later Konrad Hurrell dived over and the Warriors were back in the game at 14-10. It didn't last long, with Tyrone Peachey's try right on halftime. The Warriors had some chances in an improved second half but never looked like making up the deficit.

Panthers 24 (L Brown, R Campbell-Gillard, T Peachey, D Simmons tries; J Soward 4 goals)
Warriors 10 (S Tomkins, K Hurrell tries; T Lolohea goal)
Halftime: 20-10