"We haven't got a lot of other options and that goes right through our whole team. It's pretty much what we have out there at the moment, that's what we've got."
Rookie playmaker, Tui Lolohea, in his third start in the No7 jersey, showed spark with the ball in hand but felt the heat defensively as the Panthers relentlessly targeted his right edge.
His halves partner, Chad Townsend, endured another mixed night with some off-target passing and kicking letting the home side off the hook when the Warriors attack looked to be building.
"I thought our kick game was really ordinary tonight and that didn't build any pressure on the opposition and even when we did we didn't quite have that killer blow and let them off the hook," said McFadden.
"We get a team down in the corner and the next minute they're scoring in the corner, so we've just got some blokes that just...they're tired."
"So that's where we're at the moment as a group. It's a challenge. There's no doubt about that. "We've got our senior guys that are working hard and got some young kids that are doing a fair job they're just 24 rounds into the NRL so it's tough for them."
McFadden was reluctant to blame their problems on the absence of injured halfback Shaun Johnson, but said his side had been affected by the loss of key personnel.
"I'm not pointing there. We've got to be better but take key people out of any team and see how they go.
"It's not just Shaun, we're missing Thomas Leuluai, who was our starting hooker and he was playing terrific before he got hurt."
Captain Simon Mannering, who had an indifferent night with some uncharacteristic defensive and handling lapses putting his side under pressure, felt like nothing was going their way.
"There was still plenty of time left and down by 14 we thought we had every chance to make a bit of a comeback but it just wasn't our night," said Mannering.
"We couldn't hold on to the footy, couldn't keep them in their end and couldn't win any field position or build any pressure and it's pretty hard to score points off that."
Warriors v Panthers: Three Things
1. Put a line through the Warriors
The Warriors have looked like dead men walking in recent weeks but the loss to the Panthers has effectively killed off their season once and for all.
They remain an outside chance mathematically, but after having it all to play for against Penrith, failed to muster the effort required. Bring on 2016.
2. Lolohea growing in confidence
Young Warriors halfback Tui Lolohea looks to be finding his feet in the playmaking role despite playing behind a beaten pack and coming in for plenty of attention defensively.
The Panthers ball-runners targeted the 20-year-old rookie and he made two missed tackles, but looked comfortable chiming into the attack and was dangerous off second-phase.
2. Shoulder charge questions remain
Warriors coach Andrew McFadden's frustration at the lack of consistency in the refereeing of shoulder charges was clear, after prop Sam Rapira was forced out of the game after 18 minutes following a big shot from Panthers front-rower Reagan Campbell-Gillard.
After losing Ben Matulino for three games for a shoulder charge, McFadden was not at all confident that the Rapira incident would be correctly judged.
"I know the shoulder made contact with the head," he said. "But I'm not sure if...I don't actually know what the shoulder charge is, so I'll leave that one."
