Secondhalf scoring woes need fixing

WELLINGTON: A rocks and diamonds run of performances is not the only area in which the Warriors need to improve.

Now they are addressing an alarming decline in their secondhalf scoring — something Simon Mannering says could cripple their NRL title hopes.

Tonight’s match against the Newcastle Knights in Auckland is a chance to end a run of three matches in which the club has failed to score in the second spell.

Losses to Melbourne and the Gold Coast, along with last week’s win over St George Illawarra, were notable for the Warriors spending long periods of the game on defence after halftime.

They have slumped to last in the 16club competition for points scored after the break (148).

By chance, the Knights have conceded the most points of any team in the second half (269).

That does not interest veteran secondrower Mannering, who wants his team to emerge from the sheds with more vitality.

‘‘It’s an area we need to fix because that’s where you can go a long way towards losing the game if you don’t come out and start that second half strong,’’ he said.

‘‘That’s been a problem for us for a while now.

‘‘We can’t rest on our laurels, We’ve got to get back out there and start that second half like it’s the start of the game.’’

The 1812 upset of the Dragons instilled the eighthplaced Warriors with self belief.

Their late offloads were lethal in scoring three firsthalf tries while their defensive grit over the last halfhour helped lift them to the verge of the playoffs.

However, Mannering is tired of the hotandcold form line.

They have won successive games only once since a fivewin seasonopening burst.

Victory over the 11thplaced Knights, who have a dreadful record at Mt Smart Stadium, would go some way towards shedding a tag of inconsistency.

‘‘We can’t keep waiting until we have a bad loss to spark us back to life,’’ Mannering said.

‘‘Hopefully, that is the last lesson but I can’t promise anything. We’ve just got to make sure we’re improving our performance.’’

A Warriors loss would be their fifth on the trot at Mt Smart Stadium, something that has not happened for 13 years.

The 250th NRL game for influential hooker Issac Luke will be a motivating factor for the home side.

Knights halfback Mitchell Pearce will celebrate the same milestone if he shakes off a leg injury and is cleared to start. — AAP