NRL: Warriors coach - No need to panic

The Rabbitohs eased to a six tries to one win ovet the Warriors. Photo / Getty

Warriors coach Andrew McFadden insists there won't be any panic following Saturday's heavy defeat to South Sydney, but how his side responds in Saturday's clash against the Sydney Roosters will be critical to their 2015 title hopes.

The Warriors were brutally exposed in the 36-4 loss to the red-hot Rabbitohs in Perth, and need to bounce back strongly against a Roosters side that will be without their Queensland and New South Wales State of Origin stars.

Playing back at Mt Smart Stadium, coming off their biggest defeat of the season so far, McFadden will be looking for an emphatic response from his side, who looked lethargic and hesitant in the face of the Rabbitohs' power and pace.

"It was obviously pretty ordinary, to be fair," McFadden said of his side's effort.

"The opposition were pretty good and we were pretty poor and the scoreline was the result.

"We really fell short tonight but we won't be panicking. We'll just go back to work, acknowledge where we went wrong and look forward to next week. It doesn't get any easier."

McFadden conceded his side had failed to take their game up a level against the reigning NRL premiers, who played some of their best football of the year in the six tries to one demolition.

After scraping home with three consecutive four-point wins against Cronulla, Parramatta and Newcastle - sides wallowing in the bottom half of the ladder - the Warriors were found wanting against the bruising and clinical Bunnies.

"It was an opportunity for us to come up against a very good side and make our mark on the season but we fell well short so I guess it's a bit of a reality check," he said.

After starting strongly and asserting themselves physically the Warriors pack was worn down by the Rabbitohs hulking forward rotation and errors and poor defence compounded their woes.

They lost their way late in the first half when skipper Simon Mannering was off the field being assessed following a head knock, and fellow back-rowers Ryan Hoffman and Bodene Thompson lacked their usual energy and accuracy.

Starting props Jacob Lillyman and Ben Matulino were effective but the Warriors' young and relatively inexperienced interchange forwards were found wanting. Out wide, backline rookies Tui Lolohea and Ken Maumalo tried hard but were both guilty of making three errors.

McFadden had previously warned his developing players would experience a dip in form and seemed to allude to both that, and the toll made on his senior forwards throughout the first half of the season, saying: "We've won three before that and there's reasons why we got beat tonight."

On the bright side, Konrad Hurrell will re-enter the selection frame this week, after serving a three-match suspension for the raised knee that broke Sharks forward Anthony Tupou's jaw, and is likely to be reunited in the centres alongside Solomone Kata.