A week after a humiliating loss to Penrith, Cronulla repaid the favour for the Warriors with a resounding 46-10 win in Gosford.
Just eight days earlier the Sharks had leaked 56 points, but on Sunday they took full control to condemn the Warriors to their first loss for the season at Central Coast Stadium.
Against his former team, Shaun Johnson put on an absolute clinic with a try, two try assists and seven goals, looking as carefree and confident as he has this season.
His try came 28 minutes in, when, leading 18-4, Johnson put through a grubber and chased to ground it centimetres before the touchline, showing the skills that made him a household name.
He converted his own try, one of seven for the afternoon for a personal tally of 18 points.
Whether it was a set piece or an opportunistic play, Johnson was on the spot.
Earlier he set up fullback Will Kennedy for an eighth-minute try with a bullet pass from a scrum, and again found himself in the right place at the right time just three minutes into the second half.
Cleaning up a kick in goal, he busted the soft defence and offloaded to speedster Sione Katoa who turned Peta Hiku inside out to score a length-of-the-field try – his first of the afternoon.
Braden Hamlin-Uele, Jesse Ramien (two) and Ronaldo Mulitalo also got on the board as the Warriors struggled to match their energy.
It was the second-biggest loss for the season for Todd Payten’s men in what is a continuingly distressing campaign for the side.
Troubling still for the Terrigal-based team is the imminent departure of winger Ken Maumalo, who was the lone scorer for the first 79 minutes, with Wayde Egan getting on the board late.
Maumalo is set to return to New Zealand on July 27 along with David Fusitu’a, Agnatius Paasi and King Vuniyayawa.
The loss is the second in a row for the Warriors who are struggling for squad numbers through injury, with the situation to worsen over the coming weeks given the quality of departing players.
It is a daunting prospect as they prepare to play NRL premiers the Roosters on Saturday in Gosford.