NERVOUSNESS is hindering Warrington Wolves’ attempts to break their losing sequence, says Daryl Powell.

The Wire fell to a fifth straight win at Wakefield, suffering a season’s Super League double loss at their hands for the first time since 2009.

Warrington took the lead on four occasions but mistakes were made and Trinity pegged them back soon after each score, and then struck with a sucker punch four minutes from time when substitute Tinirau Arona powered over for a try that Powell felt his men should have stopped.

"It's so frustrating to be honest. I can't begin to explain how tough it is,” said Powell.

"I thought the boys worked really hard. There's nothing in the game really.

"Some of the pivotal moments included a scrum call that was a nonsense call, and a forward pass when we had a three on one.

"There's a couple of bits there not helping but defensively we've got to be better. We conceded 30 points, we scored 24, which is enough to win a game.

"I thought there was some really good things from us with and without the ball but we conceded too many points again and need to continue to work on that.

"I just think when things are going against you, so does luck. The little pivotal moments tend to go against you and we're finding that so much at the moment.

"When it turns we'll be fine and I think the positive thing is we're not in too much of a worse position in terms of the table and the top six.

"Obviously losing is something we don't want to be doing and we're doing too much of it at the moment, and that makes you feel a little bit worse, but I think we have to remain positive because I can see the signs.

"I think we're nervous, which showed in how we kept going in front and they kept pegging us back.

"We’re nervous because of a whole lot of things.

"Obviously losing creates a nervousness because there is an expectation at this club and the fans are disappointed. And they let us know that, and that's fine.

"But that is not going to help. I think the boys are working hard and if you're working hard it's going to turn around and once it does then I can see us freeing up but at the moment we are nervous and it's clear to see that."

Powell felt there were a couple of occasions when The Wire looked like getting away from Wakefield by a wider margin than a converted try.

“Matty Ashton nearly intercepted just before half-time but put the ball down. That would have been 18-6, but it ended up 12-12 at half time. That’s a real pivotal moment.

“I thought that Connor Wrench was going to score and how he (Lewis Murphy) pulled him down there with a world-class tackle was unbelievable.

“Wakefield had an energy and that’s what they do here, they put teams under pressure. They ended with a dop-goal win last time out, but you could almost see it unfolding once Connor had got reeled in.

“The charge down (to prevent a Jacob Miller drop-goal) was great work from Thomas Mikaele, and you could see it happening from there but Tanginoa should have been stopped on the inside.

“We’re not helping ourselves either. I think Wakefield were 94/95 per cent completions in the second half. We were 60 odd, that’s always going to put you under a bit of pressure as well.”

Powell accepted it is getting to the stage in the season where The Wire just need to win games.

Bizarrely, despite their defeat, The Wire actually ended round 15 having climbed a place to ninth due to Salford’s worsening points difference after their 30-12 home defeat to Wigan Warriors.

“100 per cent, we want to win games, we want to be in the top six,” said Powell.

“We’ve just got to keep battling, keep our spirits up, stay positive, and we’ve got to find our way out of it.

“This happens to teams every year, the fact remains that it is us at this point and we’ve got to find a way out of it.

“People didn’t expect us to be here, I didn’t expect us to be here, but we are and the reality is the way you get out of it is to stay positive and work hard and things will turn.

“Once it turns with a performance and a result, then I’ll be pretty confident that we flow from there.”

He accepted it is a tough watch for the fans while the team gets to that point though.

“I know it’s hard for the fans, and I 100 per cent understand it’s tough. But it’s tough for us all, and we all want to win, that’s all we do this for, we don’t do it to lose,” said Powell.

“Just understand that we are working hard and there is a transition in some areas that we’re working through.

“We know we need to be better and we know we need to continue to work hard. We’ve got to win to free the fans up, for the fans to believe in what we’re doing is right, and then it’ll all start to flip in our favour.

“I know that looks hard at the moment but we’ve just got to keep doing that.”

He wishes his men could return straight back into match action next weekend but Super League goes on hold for the weekend while international matches take place, including England against the Combined Nations All Stars at The Halliwell Jones Stadium next Saturday.

Warrington also had blank weekends when the Challenge Cup quarter-finals, semi-finals and final were played, due to having bowed out at the first hurdle at home to Wakefield in March.

“I think that’s been part of the problem to be honest. We’ve been playing one week, off, played another week, off. I don’t like the way it’s been put together this season, there’s way too much down time.

“I’d rather be playing again this weekend. We need to play, we need to bond and pull together as a club, everybody, to work our way out of it.

“I can understand if the boys are not working hard, and I know there’s a been a little bit of this in the past saying the boys are not working hard, but I don’t think you could see anybody out there today not working hard.

“They worked really hard and it didn’t go our way, but that’s not through effort, that’s through a little bit of nervousness. I think that’s the overriding issue at the moment that we’re nervous because we’re not winning and we know we’re expected to win.”