Rugby league: Mixed bag for Warriors in NRL pre-season trial loss to Wests Tigers

After the way their casualty ward filled up in the pre-season, the Warriors will be glad that the next time they run out onto the turf, they'll be playing for competition points.

Having already lost props Bunty Afoa and Jackson Frei to ACL injuries, Stephen Kearney was given more reasons to worry in his side's 20-6 trial loss to the Wests Tigers in Rotorua on Sunday afternoon.

Prop Agnatius Paasi was sidelined in the second half with a leg injury, utility forward Lachlan Burr left the park due to a neck issue, while fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck also exited early after landing awkwardly on his ankle.

Speaking after the game, Tuivasa-Sheck said he left the field as a precautionary measure, noting there was no point in risking anything during the pre-season.

From a performance standpoint, there were areas that showed some promise. David Fusitu'a looked strong in the centres, bumping off opponents and running the ball well, Tohu Harris was heavily involved in the second row, and Tuivasa-Sheck spent plenty of time in the line as a playmaker.

However, for the good, there was bad to go with it. The second-half performance will want to be quickly forgotten, as the Warriors were outscored 14-0. The Tigers didn't have too much trouble cracking the Warriors' defence, and took their opportunities well.

The Warriors should probably have had more points to their name at halftime, with a sole Ken Maumalo try not nearly reflective of their first-half performance. But for all the pressure they applied, their last-tackle options were too often lacking in execution.

It kept the door open for the Tigers, who struck back through Josh Reynolds on the stroke of halftime to go into the break with all the confidence they needed to get the job done.

They were in again soon after halftime, when an average pass from Chanel Harris-Tavita was too high for Josh Curran to gather, and Tigers winger David Nofoaluma snapped up the loose ball and ran away to score.

Halfback Luke Brooks was next in for the Tigers, with a little chip and chase play falling in no-man's land for him to stab over the line and score, while Nofoaluma scored again just before the final whistle to put the result beyond doubt.

The Warriors will now have some time to re-gather and make final preparations for the season ahead, with their first match away to the Newcastle Knights on March 14.

Wests Tigers 20 (David Nofoaluma 2, Josh Reynolds, Luke Brooks tries; Benji Marshall con, Adam Doueihi con)
Warriors 6 (Ken Maumalo try; Kodi Nikorima con)