Penrith horror show

The Warriors plan on tackling with greater intent in tonight’s NRL clash against St George Illawarra at FMG Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, after a poor defensive attitude proved costly in last week’s embarrassing defeat to the Panthers at Penrith.

Lazy efforts and a lack of aggression saw the Warriors drop off tackles as the lively Panthers ran down a 6-28 halftime deficit to prevail 36-28 at Pepper Stadium last Saturday.

The Warriors offered little resistance through the middle and were also exposed on the edges and in the back field, with wide-ranging Penrith back-rower Isaah Yeo carving through the right side to score two tries and set up a third for centre Waqa Blake.

After a week of stinging criticism and self-reflection, the Warriors know they need to lift to contain a powerful Dragons forward pack containing Kiwis international Russell Packer, NSW State of Origin hopeful Paul Vaughan and captain Tyson Frizell.

“They’re up there [ with the best packs in the NRL],” said veteran Warriors front-rower Jacob Lillyman.

“They’ve got some quality players and some guys in some real form and they’re certainly going to be a real handful, but it’s a great challenge to meet that head on and use that disappointment to drive us into a really solid performance this weekend.

“You’ve got to be ready for it and you’ve got to have an aggressive mindset. We didn’t have that on the weekend and that needs to be our focus, that aggression and intent, in everything we do.”

Despite their apparent first-half dominance, there were some worrying signs early on against Penrith, with five Warriors tries masking some grabbing attempts at tackles and a lack of communication through their defensive line.