A bye couldn't have come at a better time for the Warriors, whose early season NRL heroics are fading fast from the memory banks.
Coach Stephen Kearney didn't hide from the fact his team were out-muscled by South Sydney in their 30-10 defeat at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday.
While both teams boast an 8-4 record at the midway point of the season, they are on different trajectories.
The Warriors won their first five matches but have since been sucked into a loss-win pattern, with the defeats being emphatic.
Title candidates Melbourne (50-10), the Sydney Roosters (32-0) and Souths have dominated the Kiwi outfit up front in the last month, prompting concern from Kearney.
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"We get a break next week and the coaches and myself will work out how we can arrest teams coming here and beating us up physically," he said.
"The last six weeks we haven't had a great deal of consistency."
Kearney was reluctant to make excuses but conceded they had keenly felt the absence of injured playmaker Shaun Johnson, who should be back when they face Manly in Christchurch on June 9.
Fellow spine members Issac Luke, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Mason Lino have all missed a game each in recent times.
"That happens to all teams in the competition but some of the changes we've had in the side have been pretty significant because of the personnel," Kearney said, lamenting the increasing weight on the shoulders of playmaker Blake Green.
"It's put a lot of pressure on Greeny, you could see them (Souths) really going after him."
One shining light against the Rabbitohs was skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, whose place in the game was only confirmed in the minutes leading up to kick-off when it was confirmed his partner was not about to give birth to their first child.
The Kiwis fullback delivered a fine all-round performance, drawing praise from Kearney.
"Roger was on tenterhooks the whole week. Sometimes when you come into a contest like that, with that sitting in the back of your mind, it can be pretty difficult," he said.
"It was a distraction but he put it to the side."
