Warriors coach Stephen Kearney conceded his team couldn't find a way back into the match after the Melbourne Storm ran in six first-half tries in their 50-10 Anzac Day loss at AMI Park on Wednesday night.
"It was one of those nights," he said.
"They jumped out of the blocks early and executed some tries on the back of kicks early. We just couldn't find our way back into the contest.
"I don't think our defence was up to the standard [that] we set ourselves over the last six or seven weeks, and we paid the price for it in the first half.
"It's a good lesson for us. They highlighted a couple of areas we needed to be better at."
The Storm surged away with three tries in six minutes midway through the opening term and skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck said it was tough to take.
"It was interesting - because the first two tries came off kicks, so we looked at each other a bit calmly," he said.
Match highlights: Storm v Warriors - Round 8, 2018
"Defensively we were going well, everything was going well, we were just unfortunate with the kicks, let's just stick at it, but three tries in ... they got the momentum going and executing really well. They got the jump on us and we couldn't wrestle it back."
The Auckland-based side now has 10 days to reflect on the best start to a season in their 23-year history, with their next game against the Wests Tigers on May 10.
"From a short turnaround, we get a long turnaround now, it's a good opportunity to refresh ourselves after a pretty tough first eight weeks," Kearney said.
"We're fortunate that we've found ourselves in the position that we're in, and get ready for the next little journey in front of us."
Hooker Isaac Luke will have a scan after sustaining a knee injury during the match.
Warriors press conference: Round 8, 2018
