Warriors: pass the ball, catch the ball

How to go about stopping players from dropping the ball is a conundrum plenty of Warriors coaches have struggled with over the years.

Andrew McFadden trotted out the same line about too many mistakes almost weekly during his two-and-a-half years at the helm and Stephen Kearney gave that same talk to the media after their 26-12 loss to the Dragons last weekend.

It’s apparent to all how much talent there is in this Warriors side and there are few more exciting teams to watch when their attack is going well. Problem is, that’s not happening enough and they’ve failed to score more than 12 points in their last three games.

‘‘Catching and passing is a fundamental skill and we were just a bit off there last weekend,’’ said Warriors centre David Fusitu’a.

‘‘We’ve got a lot of skillful players and we’ve just got to get back into the basics. When we hold on to the ball we can be some of the most devastating players in the NRL.’’

The Warriors’ critics have been given plenty of ammunition to put the boot in so far this year and the club needs a win against the Titans at Mt Smart Stadium tomorrow. It’s still early in the campaign, but they are in danger of falling behind the pace.

‘‘It’s not been an ideal start to the season but I think we’ll pull through in the end,’’ Fusitu’a said.

‘‘There are things we need to work on and address, but I think we’ll go from strength to strength from here.’’

Aside from injuries, Warriors coach Stephen Kearney has only made minor changes to his team but the main fall guy has been Tuimoala Lolohea.

He started the season playing on the wing but injuries resulted in him starting the last two games at fullback, then five-eighth. But this weekend he’ll be having a run with the reserves.

‘‘It’s the toughest competition in the world and the hardest thing about it is backing it up each week,’’ Fusitu’a said.

‘‘It’s good having people behind you keeping you on your toes but, unfortunately for Tui, Blake [Ayshford] came in and played well last weekend [on the wing].

‘‘I know Tui and he’ll fight to get back into the team.

‘‘He’s got a lot of spirit in him and he’ll be eager to push his way back in through the NSW Cup.

‘‘That’s good for us collectively, to all step up our games.’’