KEY POINTS:
The New Zealand Warriors want to ensure they don't get rocked on their heels by fast-starting opponents on Saturday night as they look to maintain their charge towards to a National Rugby League playoff spot.
They host the Gold Coast Titans, who will arrive at Mt Smart Stadium desperate for victory, sitting two points outside the top eight with four rounds to go.
The Warriors dropped a place to fifth on the table after their dramatic 31-31 extra-time draw with the Sydney Roosters last weekend.
Against the Roosters, they found themselves down 16-0 after 20 minutes before storming back into the game with three quick tries.
Coach Ivan Cleary believed his players would have benefited from what they went through at Aussie Stadium.
"It probably makes us a little bit wary about how fast some starts can be and you just have to be on your game right from the word go," he said.
"If you're not, it can get into a bit of a spiral effect, which is something that happened at the weekend."
The Warriors were fortunate they had the strike power to hit back, "but you can't be relying on it every week".
Cleary said the "ferocity" with which the Roosters began the contest could explain why some parts of the Warriors' performance, such as their kicking game, were below par.
The organisation on the field was not probably quite in synch, and that applied to the whole team.
"We weren't getting into positions we wanted and maybe that was born out of a fast start, where we were a bit behind the eight-ball and a little bit rattled," Cleary said.
"That's also a good thing to go through - under pressure, making sure you get through your core areas and kicking is certainly one of those."
Cleary was happy with how his players had come through the extra 10 minutes they had to play against the Roosters.
They had appeared to pull through the gruelling encounter in good shape and his plan this week had been not to push them too hard in training.
Cleary has made one change to the 17 who have played the past four rounds, resting winger Michael Crockett, who is under investigation by Sydney police over a sexual assault claim he has denied.
Crockett's replacement is Patrick Ah Van, who will make his 11th appearance of the season.
After a six-match losing sequence in mid-year, the Warriors have turned their campaign around by nabbing 13 of the last 16 points on offer.
They will again look to inspirational skipper Steve Price to lay the platform up front.
Price has the best statistics by far in the NRL this year for metres gained, averaging a huge 205 metres each game.
The phenomenal tally of 323 metres he accumulated last weekend was the fourth highest in the league's history.
The Warriors, who were minus Price on Queensland State of Origin duty, won their earlier meeting against Gold Coast 22-6 at Carrara Stadium.
That result was the start of a run of five defeats for the Titans, who had some of their frontliners sidelined with injury during that period.
But with centre Mat Rogers, halfback Scott Prince, second rower Anthony Laffranchi and prop Luke Bailey all back on deck, they returned to winning ways last weekend by downing Wests Tigers.
- NZPA
