Only way is up, hopefully
Warriors coach Nathan Brown knows there are one of two ways it can go against the Raiders on Saturday, after capitulation against the Storm.
The scars from the 70-10 NRL loss on Anzac Day in Melbourne won’t heel quickly, but the team can either be galvanised by it and put in a great backs-to-the-wall performance, or it can remain in a shellshocked state.
‘‘There are only two options, it’s going to be a positive response or not a good response,’’ Brown said yesterday.
‘‘We’ve got to be mindful that we were heading in the right direction. We had made some good progress from last year and if we’d called the game off at halftime, we would have thought as a club that we’re really going in the right direction.
‘‘But when what happened happened, it does set you back on your heels a bit and certainly knocks everyone around a touch.
‘‘The players are off today, they will be back tomorrow and we’ll be expecting a really good response from them.’’
But one player who won’t get to respond is winger Edward Kosi, who not only made several costly errors, but didn’t chase back hard enough in the second half when Xavier Coates raced past him to score his third try.
Kosi has copped most of the criticism after the game, with Sydney’s Daily Telegraph labelling him ‘Edward Slippery Hands’ and Brown revealed that the 23-yearold has taken it hard.
‘‘It was a tough day for Ed. He’s only a young, developing player,’’ he said.
‘‘On the wing, when things go bad for you, you’re out there and it’s a lonely place. In the middle there are a lot more people around you.
‘‘He was very disappointed after the game, I had a chat with him the next day and he was still very disappointed. We all have setbacks along the way and this is a little one for him.’’
There are plenty of people in New Zealand who love to knock the Warriors every time they falter, and they’ve revelled in the team’s dreadful loss over the past few days. Brown says the criticism is understandable.
‘‘Everyone wants support through good and bad, but it’s hard to argue with people being very critical when these things happen,’’ he said. ‘‘Myself personally, I’m the head coach, I’ve got to take a huge chunk of that responsibility. Obviously, there’s a bit for the players to take.
‘‘As I said about Ed Kosi, people need to be mindful that some of these boys are young and whilst being in a high performing sport comes responsibility, so it is fair to be critical of the younger boys, be mindful that they are still young and learning their trade.
‘‘In Ed Kosi’s case, he’s far from the first person that Melbourne have put to task.’’
Meanwhile, Brown said he was hopeful forward Ben MurdochMasila would be back this weekend, having been out since a Thomas Flegler cannonball tackle against the Broncos.
‘‘All being well, he pulls up well and we’re hopeful he can play.’’
‘‘We’ve got to be mindful that we were heading in the right direction.’’
Nathan Brown