OPINION: The honeymoon is officially over for the NZ Warriors - there's no reason to bring in the divorce lawyers just yet, but this is where the real work begins.
After a record-breaking 6-1 start to their 2018 NRL campaign, the Auckland-based franchise came crashing back to Earth on Anzac Day, capitulating 50-10 on the road to reigning premiers Melbourne Storm.
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There's no disgrace in losing to the Storm, who are perennial contenders for the title and starting to pick up steam from a slow start to the season.
But the manner of that defeat, conceding three early tries in seven minutes, will certainly have shaken a few hitchhikers off the bandwagon.
The Melbourne massacre was perhaps a sign that the rest of the league has caught up, physically and mentally.
It's relatively easy to get a drop on your adversaries by surprise if you've dedicated your off-season to getting fit, like the Warriors. Probably the greatest area of improvement over the opening two months has been player conditioning, credited mainly to the arrival of trainer Alex Corvo.
Also, it's relatively easy to catch your opponents by surprise tactically at the start of a season, when no one has seen you play for several months.
Think about the ASB Tennis Classic - traditionally among the first tournaments of the WTA and ATP annual schedule - but especially the women's draw. Because no one brings any form into Auckland, it's often not the best player but the best-prepared that walks away a winner.
In fact, the best players start slow and use that week to build up towards the Australian Open - the year's first Grand Slam stop.
That's where the Warriors now find themselves. The early advantage of being the fittest team in the competition is now less pronounced.
Tactically, the other clubs and their coaches have had a chance to scout the things they do well and not so well.
Injuries have begun to take a toll, with Shaun Johnson, Tohu Harris and Solomone Kata significant non-starters against the Storm, and hooker Issac Luke limping off during the second half.
Depth now becomes an issue, but this Warriors roster is still well-equipped to cover most positions. Johnson, Harris and Kata shouldn't be too far away, with premiership-winning Kiwi utility Gerard Beale also back on the training paddock after breaking his leg at last year's World Cup.
Although Luke is likely sidelined for a while, the franchise has a variety of dummy-half options. Jazz Tevaga, who has come off the bench as a second-rower this season, has filled the hooker role previously.
Injury-prone Nathaniel Roche has often edged ahead of Luke over the past two years, but hasn't been able to sustain that presence. Manaia Cherrington, a former first-grader for Wests and Cronulla, lurks in reserve grade, while Sam Cook was preferred as back-up when the season began.
The most intriguing option might be Mason Lino, who has proved an able understudy to Johnson in the halves and could devastate tired opposition forwards from dummy half off the bench.
Most of all, though, the onus now falls on Stephen Kearney and his extensive coaching staff to change things up tactically.
This is the biggest difference between coaching a national team, where you don't usually have time to get too cute, and a club team over a six-month season what are the tweaks that will keep your players engaged and your opponents guessing?
The rest of the campaign will be as much mental as it will be physical.
Their strong early form has earned the Warriors a margin of error over the next few weeks. Now, the challenge for them is to ensure one loss doesn't become a streak.
The grind has begun.
Grant Chapman is a Newshub online sports editor.
