Trying times as Warriors coach lashes players

"There were some guys out there who were trying really hard and some guys that weren't." Stephen Kearney after the 26-10 loss to the Knights

Stephen Kearney has publicly blasted some of his players for not trying in the Warriors’ 26-10 defeat to the Knights on Saturday night.

It was the club’s fifth straight NRL defeat and finally ended any hope of making the top eight this year.

Without naming names, in the post-match press conference Kearney criticised the effort some players put in.

‘‘I was disappointed. I thought there were some guys out there who were trying really hard and some guys that weren’t,’’ Kearney said.

‘‘There was some effort from some individuals, but then there was some effort from others that would be very questionable,’’ he added. ‘‘In this competition you can’t have that.

‘‘The Knights played with a great deal of energy and off the back of a good win last week. And at home, with a bit of confidence under their belts, they’ve come out with a real zest and it’s disappointing we couldn’t match that.’’

While there have been gutsy performances against the Cowboys and Sharks during their five-game losing streak, this wasn’t one of them and it would have to be regarded as one of the club’s most disappointing outings this season.

‘‘It wasn’t pretty in the first half and to be fair, I don’t think it got much better in the second half,’’ Kearney said.

‘‘It’s pretty obvious that the group are lacking some confidence at the moment.

‘‘We got gifted the first set inside the Knights tryline and still couldn’t come up with anything and we made a mistake a set or so later. It’s been the story of our last month.’’

One of the few positives was the extra energy Nathaniel Roache brought with him when he came into the game in the second half, but for most of the others this is a game they’ll want to forget.

The Warriors were the better team at the start of the second half, but struggled to convert that into points.

‘‘There was a period in the second half where we got back to 10 points and had a bit of momentum,’’ Kearney said.

‘‘There was a kick we put in goal, which Roger [Tuivasa-sheck] was judged offside, which I’m still trying to figure out how, but we’re our own worst enemies and I don’t think we played with enough conviction.’’

Earlier in the day the Warriors’ under-20 side was thrashed 70-4 by the Knights.

Over the past three round the club’s NYC team has scored 18 points, while conceding 182.

While the Warriors have changed their approach to the under-20 team and promote the best young players up to the reserve grade NSW Cup team at an earlier stage in their careers, it’s still embarrassing for a team playing in Warriors colours to consistently get thrashed like this.

‘‘That’s something I can’t change at the click of a finger, there are a lot of things at the football club that need to improve and we’re working through a process that’s going to help do that.’’