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Nathan Brown admits something needs to change for the Warriors.
With just five wins from 16 matches, the club are slowly losing touch with the top eight; sitting four points back from the eighth-placed Cronulla Sharks with eight rounds to play.
While seven of the Warriors' 11 losses have comeby eight points or fewer, that isn't something that shows up on the table; close games mean little without the result to go with them.
Their 20-12 loss to Cronulla last weekend was the latest to follow the trend. They have now lost five matches in a row, with only their 42-16 defeat to the Melbourne Storm ending in a double-digit margin.
"You don't like [the losses] and five in a row is certainly not what you want," the Warriors head coach told Newstalk ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave.
"The one pleasing aspect of them is the way we're competing, and the way the boys are working is good, we're getting some things wrong at crucial stages."
The Warriors have lost five straight matches. Photo / Photosport
Brown said there was a collection of factors contributing to the recent string of disappointment. Throughout the season they have had players coming and going from the club, have been working to give some of their young players an opportunity at the top level, players have been unavailable due to injuries, and they have had their issues with the way games have been officiated.
"From a coaching point of view, we certainly have to have a look at the way we do some things," Brown admitted.
"When you keep losing close ones, you're losing them for a reason. We're losing them for different reasons. It's not any one player or the same thing; it's different things that are contributing at different times. The reality is we keep losing close games.
"There's things all across the board we need to look at, not just one or two. We're certainly in the midst of doing that and we feel if we can field a similar team consistently and jag one of the close ones, we feel like we could win a few."
The Warriors will be looking to take advantage of a weakened Penrith Panthers team this Sunday in order to put a halt to the string of defeats.
While the Panthers are sitting second in the standings, they will be without star playmakers Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai for this weekend's match, with the pair nursing shoulder and knee injuries.
The Warriors could welcome back some reinforcements for the game. Josh Curran and Euan Aitken have been named on the extended bench and could move into the matchday team after missing the last two weeks due to Covid-19 protocols. Tohu Harris and Chad Townsend have also been named in the extended squad for an early return from their shoulder injuries – from which they were expected to only return around round 22.
"The way the game is these days, you can't name players unless there's some sort of chance, because you're only allowed to pick players from the 21 you've named," Brown said.
"We've still got a fair bit up in the air in regards to what the team will be."
