Stephen Kearney to search for answers for Warriors woes

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Peta Hiku and Gerard Beale couldn't help spark a win for the Warriors over the Rabbitohs.

Warriors coach Stephen Kearney says he'll use the bye week working out why teams have been able to win big at Mt Smart Stadium.

The Rabbitohs' 30-10 win on Saturday night, continued the win one lose one pattern that the Warriors have been going through and this defeat was another where Kearney's side lost the battle up the middle.

"We started well, but overall it's been a bit of a common theme where teams coming here bring their best game of footy and physically we couldn't match it with them," Kearney said.

"So that's something we need to address, once we got a bit of scoreboard pressure on us, I thought we were trying really hard, but didn't have the flow that we've had in our attack.

It just didn't click for us tonight, so it's disappointing.

"We get a break next week. The coaches and myself will work out how to arrest teams coming here and beating us up physically."

While not looking for an excuse, Kearney did point out that the current patchy period the team is going through has come at a time when they've suffered injuries. This was another game where they were without their influential playmaker, Shaun Johnson.

"The last six weeks we haven't had a great deal of consistency," Kearney admitted. 

"We've had some pretty significant changes in the team over the course of the last six weeks.

"That's not an excuse, but it had an effect. That happens for most teams in the competition, but some of the changes we've had in the side over the last six weeks have been pretty significant in terms of who they.

"In terms of teams coming here and getting us physically, then we've got to come up with a game plan that's going to help us counteract that.

"It's my job to do that and the guys, if they're committed to being on board to buying into that, then I'm sure we'll move forward."

Kearney revealed that right until the start of the game he wasn't sure if Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was going to play, as he's waiting on his fiancee Ashley Walker to give birth to their daughter.

The baby was due on the same day as this game and clearly it's something that the Warriors captain has had on his mind.

"He's done terribly well considering the circumstances," Kearney said. 

"I think he's been on tenterhooks the whole week.

"Sometimes when you come into a contest like this with that sitting in the back of your mind, it can be pretty challenging.

"He's a thorough professional, he handles that sort of thing well. It's a pretty big distraction, but he puts it to the side and I thought he played pretty well."

Tuivasa-Sheck was in a moon boot after the game, but Kearney didn't feel the ankle injury which led to him leaving the game early was significant.

This is the third time in the Warriors' four defeats that they've lost heavily, with the other times it's happened being against the Broncos and Storm.

It has become a trait, but Tohu Harris say's it's not happening because the team are panicking when they're falling behind on the scoreboard.

"There wasn't any panic out there. I guess that's pleasing," Harris said.

"It's just matching the physicality of the other sides and when they get a roll on, we've got to be able to stop that and turn that momentum in our favour.

"We haven't done a good job at that in those three losses and we need to find a way that works for us that does tip the momentum in our favour.

"We know there's not going to be an easy way out of it, the good teams have to grind their way out of it and we know that's something we have to do."