Kearney’s call may motivate Warriors
WELLINGTON: Gerard Beale believes Warriors coach Stephen Kearney hit the bullseye when he called his players soft following their latest heavy NRL loss.
But experienced centre Beale is determined Kearney will not have cause to say that again as the Kiwi outfit prepares for its important match against St George Illawarra.
The eighthplaced Warriors heaped pressure on themselves with a spiritless 3612 loss to the Titans on the Gold Coast last weekend.
The players have not been able to escape Kearney’s ire, as the team elected to prepare in Australia to cope with a fiveday turnaround.
Beale is sure players will respond as they bid to become the first Warriors team in 11 attempts to topple the Dragons at Wollongong.
Kearney’s critique in Robina will be ringing in their ears.
‘‘It was fair,’’ Beale said.
‘‘We didn’t want to brush it under the carpet.
‘‘I guess the word ‘soft’, for us, it was just in the way we were trying to take the soft option — you know, letting our guard down, waiting for someone else to step up and take charge of the game.’’
Former Dragon Beale said the Warriors were guilty of com plicating their game against the Titans, as they have done in a handful of other substantial defeats this season.
The Warriors had had most success when they had kept their game plan simple, Beale said, most notably in the stunning 2012 round seven defeat of the thenleading Dragons in Auckland.
St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor said Kearney’s stinging assessment had him worried.
‘‘The coach called their performance soft. Soft is a hard word to a rugby league player,’’ he said.
‘‘They’ve got some talent across the park, which is why they were a topfour side for most of the year early. We expect them to turn up.’’