Gavin Cooper knows that cutting out the "under-nine errors" will help North Queensland turn around their NRL season but says it's not as simple as it sounds.
The Cowboys (4-10) sit in unfamiliar territory, needing at least nine wins from their remaining 10 games to be any chance of playing finals.
Basic errors have haunted them, never more than in Darwin on the weekend when knock-ons stunted their momentum and handed Parramatta the points.
Cooper said that loss, combined with Queensland's defeat in the State of Origin opener earlier in the week, had made for a tough few days.
"It has been a big couple of weeks, big emotionally as well, stepping into Origin and forgetting what's been going on here, with the tough times we've been having," he said.
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Cooper was afforded a day off training duties on Tuesday and, while watching on, said he was impressed with what he saw.
But attitude and effort at training haven't been the issue this season, with something just not clicking on game day.
"Our weeks have been like that at training and it gets to games and a few fundamental errors creep in and we're chasing our tails again," he said.
"It's a mental thing now, been happening for too long.
"Simple under-nines errors and stuff like that - it's frustrating."
The Cowboys face the in-form Warriors on Friday night, fresh off a 34-14 mauling of Manly.
"They're playing some good footy and will continue to if we keep giving them the ball," he said.
"They were pretty clinical (against Manly) ... if we turn it over like we have been, they'll put a cricket score on us."
