Donald demands more from players

They didn't get the two points but Warriors NRLW coach Brad Donald said the team will take positives away from their 28-14 loss to defending champions Brisbane on Saturday.

Fielding only five New Zealand-based players from last year's campaign and coming together as a squad a fortnight ago due to COVID-19, the Warriors shot out of the blocks for an 8-0 lead to stun the benchmark Broncos.  

An honest Donald lamented the side's efforts before and after the break as the Broncos clicked into gear to finish with a five tries to three performance.

"Yeah it was entertaining but it still wasn't the performance they could've put together," Donald said.

"I just said to the girls then we've got a warm and fuzzy feeling amongst the camp but we're not here to just make up numbers.

"They've got to make sure they leave here with improvement. We need to make sure we're accountable for some poor decisions we made and missed tackles we made out there.

"We saw glimpses of how good they can be but I think we're most disappointed because this team represents all the girls who couldn't play this year."

Both the Warriors and Broncos were thanked by NRL CEO Andrew Abdo for their commitment to the game with the players and staff committing to biosecurity protocols for at least the next month.

"There are a lot of girls and staff who have made a huge sacrifice to make sure this team is successful," Donald said.

"It's a tough dressing room to talk to when they've just lost and they had the expectations of doing well.

"He just came in and thanked them for their efforts and it was great to have the CEO do that."

Ellia Green and Evania Pelite were clear standouts for the Warriors on the left-edge with their full-time jobs as professional athletes offering a glimpse into what the future could possibly hold for NRLW players if they were offered similar contracts.

The pair both crossed for tries on the left edge and produced bone-rattling hits in dominant performances in their maiden rugby league appearances.

"I think there's a couple of full-time athletes who have come across that have been part of a system for seven years," Donald said.

"They're certainly different athletes, they're not trained the same as rugby league players. They train like sprinters and in short spurts.

"It's been great learning for both. We had a bit of a scrimmage last Saturday and Ellia's picked the game up exceptionally well.

"She's one of the better players in the competition from what I've seen today."