Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon believes the Warriors “got the jump on us physically” after being dominated by New Zealand in a 40-10 rout on their home turf.
After going into the break trailing by only two points, Andrew Webster’s Warriors piled on five unanswered tries, rolling through Cronulla in the middle of the park.
The Sharks missed 17 tackles in the final 40 minutes, while also making four errors and letting the Warriors waltz through their defensive line five times.
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“The simplest parts of the game and the hardest parts of the game. They simply got the jump on us physically and then got their way down field,” Fitzgibbon said in the post-match press conference.
“On the back of some momentum and field position they made us pay for that. We let a couple of last tackle tries disrupt us as little bit.
“Got the scoreboard going for them and then they came over the top of us.”
The Sharks have now conceded 108 points in their last three games, with their latest loss compounding a shock defeat at the hands of the Roosters who were missing a host of Origin stars.
Fitzgibbon was asked how much he takes his team’s lack of defensive resolve to heart and he was blunt in response.
“Yeah a lot,” he said.
“We work hard on that and it’s a simple game sometimes. If you don’t get the simple and the hardest parts right, that’s what happens to you.
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“The second half, we can defend better than that. We need to defend better than that… we just looked rusty after the bye. I don’t know if it was training preparation.
“But a lack of physicality in the second half cost us.
“I think it’s mental as well as physical. Obviously some technical work there… but it’s pretty hard if a team gets on top of you.”
Fitzgibbon was also quizzed on his halves pairing’s efficiency on Saturday evening, being unable to spark a single point in the second half.
“Yeah look, a couple of last play options which suggested we wanted points not pressure,”
“By the end of the game they were searching to try and get something back, that’s where the disconnect happened. But the first half was alright.”
