Perhaps with the knowledge that the attention of the sporting nation was elsewhere, it looked like the Warriors wanted to do their bit and run up a cricket score yesterday.
They scored at a point a minute in the first quarter — leading Parramatta 22-0 after 21 minutes — before falling away badly in the second half.
It continued a pattern for the 2015 season — in each match they have managed one good 40-minute spell (Newcastle, first; Canberra, second) and one poor half. Part of it is early-season rust but the trait will need to be expunged quickly. Against the big teams — Rabbitohs, Roosters, Storm, Panthers etc — it could be fatal.
"We dropped off in the second half, which was disappointing," said winger Manu Vatuvei. "We can't do that sort of thing against the Broncos [next week]. We need to be on for 80 minutes. But at least we picked ourselves up towards the end."
The Warriors' fade yesterday coincided with the departure of Sam Tomkins, who left the field after hurting his knee in a tackle.
