Warriors coach Daniel Anderson concedes his team are in a hole after their third successive NRL loss yesterday.
"Other teams will want to play us now, no doubt," he said after the 42-22 loss to Penrith at Ericsson Stadium.
The Warriors made late changes for the match, but Andersonsaid inexperience was not the reason for the loss.
"It was defensive mistakes. We couldn't make the big tackles."
It was also the Panthers' professionalism. They were cleverly steered around the park by Craig Gower, their big-game players turned in big workloads and there was a bonus in four tries to Amos Roberts in his second game for the club.
The Warriors lost big second rower Ali Lauitiiti when he was unable to pass a medical test for a concussion he suffered against St George the previous week.
So Danny Sullivan played his first game since 2002 against the Eels, a solid start for his new club, and centre Vinnie Anderson's younger brother Louis, 18, came off the bench to score after only seconds on the field. Five-eighths Jerome Ropati was solid.
The Warriors' attack looked more concerted but lacked final execution. The defence was wanting, out-smarted and out-powered.
Anderson said the team had to build confidence and momentum at training and look for gradual improvement. There was no quick-fix from personnel changes.
Tevita Latu was a spark at hooker but ran out of gas, still recovering lung strength after his tuberculosis, and playmaker Stacey Jones was a lot sharper, so there were positives.
Penrith coach John Lang said he had always been confident of a win.
"We're in form, we have a full book of players and they didn't. It was a game we should have won. I was really confident coming here today."
