Mason Lino of the Warriors gets a pass away against Ethan Lowe of the Cowboys. Photo / Getty
Mason Lino of the Warriors gets a pass away against Ethan Lowe of the Cowboys. Photo / Getty
Embattled Warriors coach Andrew McFadden was buoyed by his side's fast start but believed a lack of class and experience prevented them from going on with the job in last night's 50-16 thrashing at the hands of the North Queensland Cowboys.
Early on the Warriors looked a different team to the dispirited mob that had suffered five consecutive defeats; despite losing Queensland State of Origin prop Jacob Lillyman for the season to a fractured cheekbone in the first hit-up of the night.
Strong go-forward and offloading to support runners - the Warriors' bread and butter game - gave rookie halves Tui Lolohea and debutant five-eighth Mason Lino room to play instinctively and test the visitor's defensive line.
Three quick tries to the hot-stepping Lolohea, left wing Ken Maumalo and right centre Dominique Peyroux gave the home side a 16-0 lead under 12 minutes, before the Johnathan Thurston inspired Cowboys piled on a half-century of unanswered points.
"I know that 50 points looks bad but I don't think we're that bad," said McFadden.
"We went for it. We went out there to win a game tonight and they had a good crack. We just got probably outclassed in the end.
"We obviously started really well which was positive for us, but once the possession really started to mount we conceded a couple of soft tries and that was enough to put some doubt in people's minds and we really struggled after that."
The momentum swing came with the Cowboys spending most of the second quarter camped on the opposition line, enjoying 16 sets to the home side's three, as Thurston began focusing their attack down the Warriors' vulnerable and inexperienced left side.
"It's huge. The weight of possession against us in the end was just too much for us to hold," said McFadden.
"When it's Johnathan Thurston who's got those 16 sets as well, it's a big challenge, and that sort of weight of possession for any team would tell.
"But against Thurston, and with our young side, it was always going to be tough. "We're trying hard, but we just haven't got that composure or that 80 minute performance in us at the moment."
Warriors captain Simon Mannering said his side had braced themselves for the inevitable Cowboys counter-punch, but being able to evade it was a whole different story.
"When we had the running we said "it's not going to be this easy the whole way" and "we're going to have to defend for a long period at some stage," said Mannering.
"But it's one thing saying it, it's another thing doing it, and a couple of those tries were pretty soft. We held them out there for a fair while and then a couple close before halftime hurt us."
The 10th placed Warriors have now conceded 184 points and scored just 52 of their own since their last victory, over Melbourne Storm on July 12, but McFadden is confident they will continue to work hard in their final two games against Wests Tigers and the Canterbury Bulldogs.
"We'll prepare to win some games. We'll give it a good crack. We'll find something," he said.
"We've still got a little bit more depth to go so we'll find a team and we'll find a plan and we'll try to go out and do what we did tonight, which is try to start really well and build some pressure."
