The Warriors' halfback Stacey Jones isn't mincing his words.

"We need to be doing far better - and right now," the legendary little general says of his side's "dreadful" slide down the NRL ladder.

The New Zealand team are desperate for a win after a string of tight defeats and a draw followed by two convincing thrashings in the past fortnight.

"Last week was just terrible," said Jones of being thrashed 38-12 by Canberra at home.

"We're going to have to be a damn lot better than we have been. We have got to string some wins together, or even one to help us get our confidence back and turn things around."

Jones hopes that turnaround can start against Wests Tigers in round 12 at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday.

But for Jones that means coming up against another halfback legend, fellow New Zealander Benji Marshall.

"Coming back here, he'll be wanting to have a big game," Jones said.

"It will be pretty exciting. He's playing really good football and we're going to have to be on our game to keep him quiet."

The Warriors will be going in without their leader, Steve Price, named by Queensland for State of Origin against New South Wales in Melbourne next Wednesday.

But the Tigers are also without their captain, with hooker Robbie Farah set to play against Price.

Stand-in Warriors captain, Michael Lock, says the key will be breaking the side's pattern of slow starts.

"We've started the last few games not as we liked and for that reason your confidence takes a little hit," Lock said.

"We haven't dealt with it as well as we could have."

Coach Ivan Cleary said it was possible the run of close may have drained his players.

"We've come back really below the form that we had earlier on," Cleary said.

"It's possibly that it's not just a physical thing but mentally it might have taken a bit out of the boys."

He was hopeful that winger Kevin Locke and hooker Aaron Heremaia, both debuting this weekend, will give them "some fresh legs and a good injection of enthusiasm".

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