NZ Warriors coach Nathan Brown says his side have responded well in training, after copping criticism for their 20-18 defeat to Gold Coast Titans - their second straight loss to start 2022.
Brown has branded the performance "not acceptable", but is happy with how his players - particularly the younger members of the squad - have trained this week and expects improvements on Friday against Wests Tigers.
"The boys that were involved in some things that didn't go as they probably would have liked have rocked into training, worked hard with their coaches and we expect to see an improved showing from them this week," Brown says.
Despite the disappointment for Brown, players and fans alike, he insists they're not far away, but is eager to ease the pressure with a maiden win this week.
"Getting that, I suppose, monkey off your back certainly adds a bit of confidence to you," he continues.
"It's an important game for a number of reasons, but no more important than there's two points up for grabs.
"Obviously, when you've got two sides that are 0-2, there's a little bit more significance from a pressure point of view, no doubt."
Brown's side conceded seven penalties with 12 errors and had a 74 percent completion rate against the Titans. He says bringing those mistakes down is the key to getting their season on track.
"We certainly have these little clumps, where we don't make the game hard for the opposition. I've no doubt we're a better team than we were last year, but we've still got a little bit to go, so we can get the wins on the board."
Brown's made no bones about the fact he expects the side to raise their game this week in an effort to secure that elusive first win and pick up some momentum. Starting games better has also been discussed this week, after falling 12-0 down in both their first two games.
"We've got some young players who are still learning a lot, but at the start of the contest, I expect a little bit more of them and they expect a little bit more from themselves.
"Again, like the week before, we had a couple of backs who spilt their cookies with the line wide open. We're two caught passes from having two wins, but we're two dropped passes from being [0-2], which leaves a sour taste in everyone's mouth."
Fingers were pointed at some less-experienced players for making simple mistakes at key moments, but Brown's made few changes to the team this week in an effort to keep some consistency.
"Rocco [Berry] had a bit of a disappointing first half the other day, but had a reasonable first trial and a good first-up game against the Dragons. Young Vili [Viliame Vailea] did very well week one and Jesse Arthars has come in.
"We've got a lot of faith in those young kids."
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