Brown blasts ‘unacceptable’ end
Coach disappointed as Warriors finish season with embarrassing defeat and three players sin-binned late on
Warriors coach Nathan Brown admits his team took a big step backwards with their dismal 44-0 defeat to the Titans yesterday. And that’s probably an understatement.
While there was nothing riding on the result, the meek nature of the performance, coupled with chaotic discipline in the second half, with three players sin-binned, was the worst possible way to end the season.
The Warriors conceded eight tries — five in the second half — and had Jazz Tevaga, Matt Lodge and Kane Evans dismissed after a series of blow-ups.
It’s the kind of display that damages hard-won reputations, after the team had impressed with their resilience in difficult circumstances this season.
“The club has built a lot of credibility up over the last two years and when you see what you see [yesterday], it makes you feel a bit flat,” said Brown. “We had players that took shortcuts and then our behaviour on the field wasn’t acceptable. So a lot of hard work that has been done just can come tumbling down.
“[After] two years of sacrifice and hard work and you finish your last game in a manner that is not acceptable, as a head coach, you have to take the brunt of that responsibility.”
Brown refused to discuss individuals, although Lodge and Evans will be feeling some heat.
Lodge has already been suspended twice as a Warrior, and dodged another charge midweek, but seemed to lose focus completely yesterday, engaged in a running battle with Jarrod Wallace before his cynical late shot on Tyrone Peachey.
But at least Lodge has an upside, with some impressive games since his mid-season move from Brisbane. Evans seems to offer nothing but problems, put on report for an elbow,
before being marched for unleashing punches during a melee.
Given he was a high-profile recruit — and others have been let go to accommodate him — it’s been a dismal season.
Tevaga’s brain snap was disappointing, as he was competing well until then.
Brown admitted it had been a below-par week — “we didn’t prep well on Tuesday, which was probably our only good day to train” — and motivation may have been a struggle.
Asked what might have caused
yesterday’s collapse, then capsize, Brown said he “could rattle off a few things” but felt discussing them publicly would serve little purpose.
At times during the second half, it felt like all the pressures, frustrations and disappointments of 2021 were coming to a head, but there were no excuses from the coach.
“[The Titans game] aside, I commend the boys for the sacrifices so many of them have made, a lot more than any other club in the competition, but it doesn’t excuse what we did [yesterday],” said Brown.
“The way we performed has nothing to do with our situation. The boys haven’t once looked for an excuse to not train or play well.”
Adding to the dejected mood in the camp, Euan Aitken’s hamstring injury seems on the serious end of the scale.
“He has had a hammy before and he thinks it’s pretty bad,” said Brown. “It’s a bit unfortunate.”
The Warriors will have reviews, medicals and debriefs this week before the players go on leave. Titans 44 (Jayden Campbell 2, Mitch Rein, David Fifita 2, Brian Kelly,
Patrick Herbert, Moeaki Fotuaika tries; Jamal Fogarty 6 cons)
Warriors 0
Halftime: 16-0
● The Warriors may have been bad but Wests Tigers were even worse in the last game of the NRL regular season yesterday. Playing the Canterbury Bulldogs, who had won just twice all year, the Tigers were flogged 38-0. The result halted a 10-match losing streak stretching back to midJune for the Bulldogs, who were able to farewell several departing players in style.