Warriors coach Stephen Kearney admits his players took shortcuts in their shock 27-26 defeat to the Bulldogs in Sydney on Sunday.
The Warriors had the chance to lock up their first finals appearance since 2011, but crumbled, as rookie five-eighth Lachlan Lewis slotted a long-range field goal to win the game for the 'Dogs with seconds left.
The visiting Warriors dominated the stats sheet - 58 percent possession, running more metres (1738-1325) and scoring more tries (5-4) - but they couldn't piece it all together to come out on top.
"There's a fair bit of disappointment in the sheds," said Kearney. "We let ourselves down.
"We knew it was going to be a hard job for us. I thought we were a little bit off in certain areas, which is disappointing [with] what potentially was at stake.
"A couple of effort areas really weren't quite good enough. I just thought there were a couple of shortcuts that weren't in our game the last couple of weeks.
"You just can't do that in this competition. You've got to make sure you're not taking shortcuts."
Despite the loss, the Warriors still look likely to qualify for the finals, as they remain four points clear of the ninth-placed Wests Tigers with two games left.
For the Warriors to miss out, they would have to lose their remaining games (Panthers, Raiders), while the Tigers would have to win their last two against the Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs, plus the Broncos would have to win their two games against the Roosters and Manly.
But Kearney was in no mood to talk about the finals.
"I'm not focused on that. I'm focused on making sure we improve areas of our game that we didn't do so well in today.
"I know if we get our best game of footy out there, then we give ourselves a chance against anyone, but we didn't do that today."
The Warriors are sweating on the fitness of five-eighth Blake Green and centre Gerard Beale, after both players picked up injuries during the loss. Green left the field with a calf injury, while Beale suffered a hamstring strain.
The duo are in doubt for Friday's game against Penrith in Auckland.
Shaun Johnson also picked up an ankle injury in the second half, but stayed on the field.
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