Raiders 23
Warriors 16
There's no doubt the bye week has come at the right time for the Warriors.
Certainly there is some serious regrouping to be done after a third straight defeat - and third straight home stinker - against a Raiders side cobbled together with kids so fresh-faced many can't have been long out of school uniforms.
The Warriors will now be pinning their hopes on the projected round-10 return of senior hands Simon Mannering, Manu Vatuvei and Brett Seymour turning things around.
There is plenty to turn around. This side's failings have become all too familiar. The team has shipped 60 points in its past three first halves while scoring zero - a figure that also equates to their confidence level.
The struggles against the red-hot Panthers and Melbourne Storm may have been understandable. But to flounder against a Raiders side that hadn't won in Auckland since 2001 - and one lacking the form to suggest that things should have changed on Saturday night - was unforgivable.
"Disappointing, definitely," coach Ivan Cleary said.
"If we could have jagged a result then we would have been sitting pretty good. But we have got some real important players to come back in soon and that will boost the confidence of the squad."
As it happened, the Warriors actually started fairly sprightly. Brent Tate made two scorching line breaks, but both times failed to link with the supporting James Maloney.
Then came the first of two moments that consigned the Warriors to their ignominious fate.
Lance Hohaia crabbed across field and threw a bad pass that Patrick Ah Van curiously ran straight past, allowing debutant winger Drury Low to gobble up the scraps and score.
The Raiders smelt blood, controlling the ball for 30 straight tackles and running in two more tries to shove the Warriors into a hole that is becoming so familiar they might want to install plumbing and call it a home.
"We couldn't lay a foundation again," Cleary lamented.
"We are opening the door and the last three games the opposition has been up to it. They've not only walked in the door, they've camped in there for a while."
There was at least some resistance, with the muscular Ukuma Tai'i rumbling over for his third try of the season shortly into the second half. And Ah Van went some way to redeeming himself with a sizzling diving finish from a Maloney kick that cut the deficit to six with plenty of time remaining.
But the architect of that try immediately became the architect of his team's downfall, a final-tackle kick from Maloney going out on the full to hand the wobbling Raiders the field position from which Bronson Harrison sent over Joel Thompson for the decisive try.
"Probably from the last 10 minutes of the first half I thought we controlled things pretty well," Cleary said. "But we couldn't get the points and we killed ourselves when it was crucial. That does show a bit of lack of confidence."
With Micheal Luck's face taking yet another pounding, Tate was left to undertake the post-match speaking duties.
"We've just got to stick together," he said.
"We have been in this position before when I was first at the club in 2008 and we managed to turn things around. I am really confident in our playing group now that we can do the same. It is only early. There are going to be a lot of highs and lows to come out of this season yet. We are on a bit of a low and we've just got to ride it out."
The Warriors have signed back-row forward Steve Rapira from North Queensland for the 2011 season.
The 21-year-old younger brother of Sam Rapira has signed a two-year contract with an option for the 2013 season.
He played for the Junior Warriors in their debut NYC season in 2008 before leaving to join the Cowboys.
