Michael Burgess: It's only round three, but already a long road back for the Warriors in the NRL

After just three rounds, and with summer still in the air, it seems crazy to talk about a crisis for an NRL team – but it's difficult to think of another word to describe the current malaise at Mt Smart.

The performance against the Sea Eagles was as bad as it gets, and there is little light on the horizon.

The Warriors have problems across the park – and there is no obvious fix.

Christchurch was supposed to be some kind of redemption, after a wake up call against the Tigers, where the team imploded off the back of errors and penalties.

The team was meant to be hungry, desperate and determined to show the form that took them to within two points of first place last year. On top of that, there were also the unique circumstances of the occasion in the Garden City, which could have provided added motivation.

Instead we got another flat, flaky, fragile performance. Sure, Manly were on song, but they were given unbelievable room to roam, and some of the commitment on defence wouldn't be good enough in Auckland club footy.

All things considered, the 46-12 hiding is possibly the worst defeat since 2017.

The team lost heavily to the Rabbitohs and Roosters last year – but at least competed on both of those nights – while the loss at Penrith was forgettable, but it was late season and fatigue and injuries could be factored into the occasion.

This was early season, off a six day turnaround, on a firm track with the sun on their backs.

What has happened to the Warriors? The Tigers and Sea Eagles have obviously improved since last season, but they are only middleweight teams. What will unfold against the Rabbitohs in two weeks? And one is already starting to dread the trip to Melbourne on Anzac Day.

Questions need to be asked. In the short term the Warriors can probably find enough to get past the Titans on Friday, though that could be a challenging clash.

But it all can't be fixed with a couple of stern team meetings and a few training sessions.

For the players it starts, in the words of the moon-walking American singer everybody used to adore, with the man in the mirror. Only they can answer why they have lost the effort, energy and enthusiasm that characterised their defence in 2018.

This time last year the Warriors were coming off a freakish win in Canberra, sealed by Shaun Johnson's drop goal heroics but built on a resolute defensive foundation that just refused to yield. A few weeks later they tackled the Dragons to a standstill at Mt Smart.
With basically the same roster, that's all gone in 2019.

The coaches also need to examine their decisions thus far. With combinations so important in the NRL, was it really a good idea to break up the Harris-Hiku-Fusitu'a axis that worked so well in 2018?

There are issues on both edges. Coach Stephen Kearney is famously loyal, but there are four or five players under serious pressure for their spots, and surely the likes of Gerard Beale, Leivaha Pulu, Chris Satae and Ligi Sao will come into contention.

History shows things can turn.

In 2011 the Warriors lost their first three games before a revival, which culminated in a grand final appearance. In 2014 they won only two of the first seven matches – before an impressive mid-season run took them to the brink of the playoffs.

And in 2008 Ivan Cleary's bearded Warriors were almost unbeatable in the second half of the year, after a poor start.

But apart from discovering an inner resilience, all of those teams were stacked with firepower and strike, something this squad has yet to show.

All is not lost – it's early April after all – but unless the Warriors can sort out some serious issues, it's hard to see them being contenders this year.