KEY POINTS:
Desperation will be the name of the game when the New Zealand Warriors meet fellow-National Rugby League strugglers the Bulldogs in Auckland on Sunday.
The Warriors have dropped to 10th on the table after four straight defeats, while their opponents are third from bottom after losing their last
three.
"They're in a similar position to us," skipper Steve Price said.
"It's going to be who's the most desperate for the two points this weekend."
The Warriors' slump has been highlighted by a huge defensive load in recent weeks thanks to plenty of dropped ball.
It was the same again last Monday, when they went down to Parramatta 30-6 in Sydney.
They were forced to make the huge total of 417 tackles, compared with just 286 by the Eels.
Out wide, winger Manu Vatuvei found himself targeted by the Parramatta kickers and he obliged with some costly mistakes.
In the only change to the side, coach Ivan Cleary has dropped Vatuvei to the Auckland Lions and given his place to Michael Crockett, who is back after dislocating his elbow in early April.
Price was confident that it wouldn't take much to turn the Warriors' fortunes around.
It wasn't that the players didn't have the goods but they were the architects of their own misfortune.
"If we didn't have the ability or the talent, we couldn't do anything about it," he said.
"We've got the ability, we've got the talent. We're just letting ourselves down."
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have been operating way below potential.
They will arrive at Mt Smart Stadium without Kangaroo forward Willie Mason and former Kiwi winger Matt Utai, both injured.
But they will still have the likes of Willie Tonga, Mark O'Meley, Andrew Ryan and Reni Maitua in their ranks, as well as Kiwi backrower Sonny Bill Williams.
Off the field, the club are caught up in claims of internal unrest, and the board this week rejected a media report that it was planning to oust long-time coach Steve Folkes.
Price, who spent more than a decade at Bulldogs before joining the Warriors, said he knew how dangerous they could be when they had their backs to the wall.
He admitted that he still felt a bit of a buzz at facing his former club.
"Early on, when I first did it, it was quite nerve-wracking," he said.
"Now, it's more like another team but there's a little excitement there because you're playing so many of your old mates."
Meanwhile, Price said he was obviously pleased that Brisbane centre and brother-in-law Brent Tate had decided to become a Warrior from next season.
"I think it will be beneficial for the club and for him as a player," he said.
But while he was able to offer advice about the Warriors and about living in New Zealand, Price said he didn't try to convince Tate to move across the Tasman.
That decision was for Tate to make alone, otherwise "it would be for the wrong reasons.
"I wanted him to come here because he wanted to."
- NZPA