The Brisbane Broncos were forced to confront a recurring opening problem after their defeat to Hull KR.
Slow starts cost them again despite a spirited late rally.
Coach Michael Maguire made it clear that the team cannot continue to fall behind early.
"Look, if you put yourself in that position over and over, at some stage it's gonna hurt you," the coach said.
The visitors clawed back late and briefly threatened to seize momentum, but the groundwork had already been missed.
"As much as we came back at the end there, you just can't keep doing that.
Maguire also referenced the issue creeping into late 2025 and said work is needed at the start of matches.
"We probably did that a bit at the back end of the (2025) season. We've got to work hard at the start of the game."
The late surge showed character but could not hide the initial lapses that made the comeback necessary.
Maguire warned that late momentum is no substitute for consistent early effort.
"You can have the momentum, but if you're going to... do the hard work early in a game, you don't put yourself in that position," Maguire said.
Captain Adam Reynolds echoed the view, admitting the team often waits until pressure builds to play its best football.
The Broncos will need to tighten their opening 20 minutes if they want to avoid repeating the same script.
Fans and analysts will watch to see if practice changes can force a cleaner first-half performance next outing.