League: Warriors' backs to the wall

Warrior Micheal Luck gets to grips with the Sharks on Saturday night. Adam Pretty / Getty Images

The Warriors have put themselves in a precarious position for making the playoffs after a first-half debacle in Cronulla.

They slumped 34-20 in what coach Ivan Cleary described it as "by far our worst performance of the year".

It was 6-0 after a try to Nigel Vagana in the 48th second and 24-4 at halftime, the final score flattering the Warriors because of two interceptions that Wairangi Koopu took off Brett Kimmorley's long pass.

They were the same type of passes that cost Kimmorley his State of Origin place last year when Matt Bowen intercepted for Queensland to win in extra time.

Saturday night's game was Kimmorley's last chance to impress for a chance in Origin Two in nine days' time because the Sharks have the bye next weekend.

The Warriors host the Brisbane Broncos on Sunday, the halfway mark in the 26-round season with their backs now to the wall.

They need 10 wins from 12 games to reach the generally accepted minimum of 28 points required to make the top-eight and the finals rounds.

It was Kimmorley's kicking and passing game plus the support play of the Sharks' backrowers that cut the Warriors open.

Paul Gallen and Greg Bird were outstanding for them, while the Warriors missed Awen Guttenbeil, who withdrew 30 minutes before kick-off suffering vomiting and diarrhoea.

Wing Todd Byrne left the field after 13 minutes with a broken right arm and will find out today how long he will be out.

Cleary is hopeful of having Manu Vatuvei back for the Brisbane game after a hamstring problem, but he will not play if he can't train early in the week, the coach says.

Cleary had no answer to the question of how the Warriors could be so good against Wests Tigers last weekend then so bad in their first 40 minutes against the Sharks.

Mental preparation and attitude had to come into it, he said. The review this week might throw up other reasons and the team balance would be addressed accordingly.

"Our defence in the first half was pretty ordinary and that's something we're usually pretty good at. Our kicking game was poor, and that was enough to get ourselves into trouble," he said.

Centre Simon Mannering scored for the Warriors and his general play and strike rate were good enough to continue to make it hard for Clinton Toopi to win back the No 4 jersey.

It was game over after the break when Albert, the fastest man in the NRL, went 95m unchallenged after the Sharks grabbed possession from a lost ball.

The Warriors picked up three late tries when Sione Faumuina bustled over and again when Faumuina made a bust that set Koopu away, then from Koopu's second interception.

Faumuina continues to blight his game with dumb plays, a silly steal leading to the Sharks' last points when the penalty gave possession and Reece Simmons scored on the first tackle in the set.

Cleary said Toopi, who played Bartercard Cup for Tamaki against Central Falcons at the weekend, was "there or thereabouts" and had expressed the desire to force his way back into the team that has to make at least one backline change this week.

Captain Steve Price will likely start after coming off the bench at Cronulla after 19 minutes because of his mid-week Origin game. And Guttenbeil will be back.

But those are minor adjustments when compared with the major readjustment in mental application needed to lift the Warriors to a 10-from-12 roll from here.

The Sharks lost rookie forward Tony Caine with a broken leg but there was good news for the Kiwis with Stacey Jones making a winning return to the Super League after recovering from a broken arm.

Jones scored the first try in a 28-20 win for Les Catalans over Wakefield in Perpignan yesterday.

Great Britain's two NRL players will not make the team for the test against New Zealand on June 27. Prop Adrian Morley has a broken thumb and Newcastle have refused to release wing Brian Carney.