After two subpar performances, the Warriors have prepared for Sunday’s NRL clash with South Sydney hoping that less will give them more.

A hefty loss to the Sydney Roosters two weeks ago prompted a hard week in training prior to last week’s game against Canberra.

However, coach Brian McClennan said his troops looked flat against the Raiders as a result, and they crumbled to a 32-12 defeat.

“We stayed in the arm-wrestle a little bit, but never looked like we were a team that were going to end up controlling the game. We were hanging in there and then we just fell apart.”

For this week’s game against Souths back in Auckland, McClennan has taken the opposite approach.

“We’ve freshened up training. It’s still very intense, but shorter and sharper,” he said.

“We want to go onto the field against the Rabbitohs nice and bouncy and ready to play.”

Much of the problems the Warriors have faced have been simple issues like dropped ball and missed tackles, especially out wide.

“We’ve got potential there to score points if we hold the ball a bit more. The trouble is we’re defending a bit too much and we’re not defending with enough grit,” McClennan said.

Already without experienced players Micheal Luck and Jacob Lillyman, the Warriors received another setback on Thursday when fullback Kevin Locke was ruled out after his injured leg failed to recover in time for Sunday’s game.

He will be replaced by utility Krisnan Inu, who last appeared in the Warriors’ win over Parramatta last month.

Given their two-win, four-loss record, a victory against Souths is crucial, especially as the Warriors then face the top two teams in the competition, Melbourne and Brisbane.

“Souths have won their last two. They’re a team that’s on the rise and have got a lot of confidence about them,” McClennan said.

“It’s important to us that we put in a performance that everyone who supports the Warriors feels proud of. At the moment we’ve been letting ourselves down and letting everyone else down.”

Souths were well beaten by the Warriors in a trial match in February but the two consecutive victories means the team will head across the Tasman with no fear.

“They’re a big pack, we played them in a trial and they showed how strong they can be,” coach Michael Maguire said.

“But we need to keep working hard at what we have been doing for the last few games and I am sure we’ll be fine.”