KEY POINTS:
A poor attitude and lack of discipline cost the Warriors two competition points against the Sharks on Saturday night and is certain to cost more today as the NRL's judiciary commissioner reviews the tape.
Charges seem inevitable for at least two and as many as four of the Warriors' players ahead of their next game, an already tough ask away to the Knights in Newcastle.
The rules on lifting in tackles are very clear - place your hands between the legs of an opponent and lift him above the horizontal and you're in trouble.
Tony Martin and Michael Witt are likely to have to answer a dangerous tackle charge for their effort on Misi Taulapapa 30 minutes into the game, the former Warrior crunching down on his upper back and neck but fortunately not hurt.
The tackle was not an intentional driving of Taulapapa, which would draw a nine-week suspension, but it will surprise if the pair escape without sanction.
Also sure to be carefully examined is Logan Swann's shoulder charge to flatten the Sharks' half Adam Dykes early in the second spell. Those three and Nathan Fien - high tackle - were placed on report by referee Gavin Badger. The review may also look at a tackle by Ruben Wiki which left the Sharks five-eighth groggy.
The Warriors looked out-of-sorts, unenthusiastic and without any urgency to win, as if they were the ones turning up for their third game in a week.
The Sharks, despite making eight changes to the squad named on Tuesday, turned up to play. They lost both halves Brett Kimmorley (neck) and Brett Seymour (leg) and called Taulapapa and another former Warrior Henry Perenara from their reserve grade team. They lost Brett Kearney to a quadriceps injury and replacement fullback David Simmonds went off early with a foot injury.
It was an uninspiring game, riddled with penalties and mistakes, in which the Warriors dropped far too much ball.
The variation on attack of recent games went missing - all their kicks in the first half were either too long or too short. Meanwhile, the Sharks used smart dummy-half plays and kicks early in the tackle count to turn the Warriors around and play at their end of the field.
The Warriors were lucky to go to the break 8-6 up after bench prop Sam Rapira showed good leg drive, technique and ball control to force tacklers back over the try-line.
In the first half, big wing Manu Vatuvei had been the target of bombs from Dykes, which he covered well. To start the second, Grant Rovelli dropped one on the Sharks, the ball came off the shoulder of their wing Luke Covell and Witt was there to grab it and score.
But minutes later, the Warriors failed to cover an in-field kick from Covell and Greg Bird scored. Three minutes later he dived under the marker defence for try two.
It was clear by this stage that the Warriors were losing composure and their way. Gone was the attacking structure and out came the catch-up football. Mistakes followed mistakes. The Sharks, despite mirroring the Warriors' poor play, grew in belief they were going to win.
At 59 minutes, Taulapapa split the Warriors' defence as Pomeroy had done, diving to ground a kick that should have been covered. Then he knocked-on from the kick-off, allowing territory that let the Warriors score through Louis Anderson for 22-20.
From there it was a bumbling, fumbling finish. The Warriors squandered their last opportunities and couldn't get out of their own half.
For the 13,587 crowd it was a boring let-down after the previous weekend's high. For the Warriors, it was a lesson in what concentration and effort can achieve. Captain Steve Price made 175m and 34 tackles, Wiki made 114m and 37 tackles and Fien made 38. The Warriors' handing over of possession meant they had to make 122 tackles more than the visitors. Micheal Luck made a game-high 47.
"It was pretty bad," coach Ivan Cleary said. "We took a bit of a step backwards - definitely. We didn't have the right attitude and as a result discipline was poor and we just played poorly."
Anderson and Ropati made decent returns after injury, though the latter needs to improve his ball retention, as does Epalahame Lauaki.
Sharks players Reece Williams, Ben Pomeroy and Lance Thompson (City) and Greg Bird (Country) had three hours' sleep and eight hours in transit after playing on Thursday night, finishing rehab at 2am and rising at 5am to fly from Coffs Harbour to Sydney then Sydney-Auckland. Thompson and Bird were two of their best, along with prop Ben Ross.
"It was the type of game we knew we had to play with so many disruptions throughout the week," said Sharks coach Ricky Stuart.
"I was really happy for them because they were very tough mentally."
