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Warriors must respond to 60-point drubbing

3 minute read

Nathan Brown is confident his Warriors side can respond to their 70-10 flogging by Melbourne, having lost by the same scoreline as a player two decades earlier.

Knights coach NATHAN BROWN s.
Knights coach NATHAN BROWN s. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

If the Warriors need any advice on how to respond to their whopping 60-point drubbing at the hands of Melbourne, they need only look as far as their coach.

Nathan Brown must have had a sense of deja vu watching his side take the 70-10 belting on Monday night. He played for the St George Illawarra side that copped that exact same scoreline against the same foe back in 2000.

There'll be a number of different faces in the side when the Warriors look to respond against Canberraon Saturday, with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (concussion), Josh Curran (knee), Aaron Pene (suspension) and Edward Kosi (omitted) all to miss.

In their place will be wingers Rocco Berry and Viliami Vailea and forward Bayley Sironen, while Eliesa Katoa and Jack Murchie are named on the bench.

Quizzed as to if he remembered how he and his teammates responded to that loss some 22 years prior, Brown had full recollection although perhaps not for the reason he'd like.

"I actually remember it very clearly, we were beating the Tigers and I kicked the ball out on the full with not long to go," Brown told reporters.

"Then they scored and beat us, so I do remember it very well."

Brown's Dragons fell 15-9 against Wests Tigers that day, although they did bounce back with four straight wins to stabilise their campaign.

He said big scorelines were more common with today's faster gameplay, but admitted the "really, really important" need for a response.

"The game is different today to back then, there weren't as many big scores as you see nowadays, the way the game is designed now and the way the game is, when oppositions like the Storm get flows of possession the score blows out quickly," Brown said.

"The score that happened to us is embarrassing and it's not good but it can happen quick now ... back then when it happened to us it was not real normal for that to happen.

"They're all tough for different reasons, it's not something you want to experience but unfortunately we are."

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