Mitchell Pearce has put his hand up.
He admits he let halves partner Mason Lino down last week.
The nib Newcastle Knights are looking for answers to escape their barren losing streak when they take on Parramatta this Saturday.
For the captain, it starts within.
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Pearce has been brutally honest on his own recent performance.
“Mase (Mason Lino) tried hard, I let Mase down on the weekend, I had one of my worst games of the year especially in that second half,” Pearce said.
“Mase is doing well and he’s a good young player, we have had a lot of changes in our side, guys in and out, but there’s no excuse, it’s about winning.”
'The reality is that it's now or never'
Earlier in the season, Pearce’s electric form delivered him five straight man of the match awards and an Origin call-up.
During the previous winning streak, the halfback notched six try assists and five tries compared to the sole try assist he has gained in his last four appearances.
For Pearce, it’s about rediscovering his form.
He did it in Round 7 when the Knights knocked off the Eels 28-14 and said a candid video session has fuelled the desire to achieve victory this weekend.
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“It’s not the best feeling in the world when you don’t play too well a few days ago and had a few losses, but everyone’s put that behind us yesterday in the review and it’s about Parramatta,” Pearce continued.
“It’s been happening in sport for a long time, people go in lows, it’s not ideal and we’re not happy about it, but we got to somehow create a win this week, it’s as simple as that.”
A win for Newcastle, could see them move back into the top eight depending on other results, although they do boast a significantly better points differential than close rivals, the Wests Tigers, Brisbane and Penrith.
“For us at the end of the day, it’s about getting out there and competing and winning and getting the job done,” Pearce said.
“That’s reality (it’s now or never) … we got to back to what works and we’ll be confident going into Parramatta.”
