NRL: Dismal display stuns Warriors boss McClennan

Simon Mannering of the Warriors. Photo / Getty Images

Warriors coach Brian McClennan never saw Saturday night's meltdown against the Roosters coming.

McClennan predicted the fury the Roosters would bring to the game after their thrashing in Melbourne the week before, but he could not have legislated for his side's possum-in-headlights response.

"Didn't see it coming," McClennan said after a review of the 26-8 humbling.

"We knew and prepared for the fact that Sydney were going to be pretty vigorous. We talked about how they would come out intense and we wanted to match it, get through it and put some pressure on them - but the only pressure we built was upon ourselves.

"By halftime we had made 60 or 70 more tackles than they had."

That statistic came back to haunt the Warriors in the second half, with a mini-revival that featured tries by Jerome Ropati and Glen Fisiiahi stalling as the Roosters came home stronger.

There were plenty more uncomfortable statistics. The Warriors coughed up 14 errors, with nine players including the entire outside back division contributing to the calamity.

The lack of ball control translated into a woeful 22/35 completion. That meant they were smashed in the yardage game, with the Roosters running for a whopping 480 metres more than the visitors.

Halfback Shaun Johnson endured his first bout of growing pains, contributing eight of his side's 35 missed tackles, including a crucial one-on-one attempt on strapping Roosters centre Mitchell Aubesson that resulted in a first-half try.

Johnson, however, was far from alone in wilting in the face of some serious aggression from Kiwis hitmen Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Frank-Paul Nu'uausala. If the stat line made for uncomfortable viewing, the match tape the team reviewed yesterday would have been worse.

"We are very disappointed in ourselves," McClennan said. "We know that the performance we put in was not good enough."

Once again, McClennan will need to address a slow start that saw the team dig a 0-16 hole for the third time in five matches. As has been their wont this season, the Warriors gained some ascendancy in the middle of the game, but just as in the defeats to the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs, the poor start proved too hard to overcome.

While the side did not receive any injuries that would rule players out of Sunday's match against the Raiders, they were left battered and bruised by Saturday night's defeat.

"It's those games where you are scrambling all over the shop where you do get those bumps and bruises," McClennan said. "There are a lot of sore bodies. That is what happens when you lose control of the situation."

Fullback Kevin Locke faces a fitness test today that will determine whether he links with the side in Australia this week. Locke received a corked leg in the victory over the Gold Coast and did not travel with the team on Thursday.

Next Sunday's opponents Canberra Raiders play the Cowboys in the Australian capital tonight.