An exasperated Matt Elliott slammed the attitude of his Warriors players following their bitterly disappointing 19-10 loss to St George-Illawarra.



A win for the Warriors would have taken them into the top eight where they would have remained had other results gone their way over the weekend.



However, their timid display at WIN Stadium saw them fail to even reach first base as a Dragons side that had lost its last six matches sent out the retiring Nathan Fien and the Hull KR-bound Michael Weyman on a high in a turgid encounter in front of a crowd of 9,022.



Elliott claimed he never saw the performance coming and said the inconsistency of a side that has beaten Melbourne, Manly and the Sydney Roosters but loses to a team with nothing but pride to play for when a finals spot is on the line is something he needs to address next year.



''The disappointing fact is that it's not just about the winning and losing, it's a final reminder that our season has been determined by the frame of mind we show up in at times,'' Elliott said.



''We are a better group of people than that and we're a better team that that. We've got some work to do.



''It's 'we' not me or the team, it's something we have to work on together.''



The Warriors were irresistible at times last week as they clocked up 50 points against Canberra but the coach said the team still needs to learn how to win close games when they matter.



''Games like this are a more profound reminder of what needs to be done than winning by 50,'' he said.



''It was one of our best training weeks of the year, their focus and commitment was good.



''I didn't see it coming but it was evident that we didn't show up and display the type of mentality needed to give ourselves an opportunity to perhaps play next week.''



The departing Elijah Taylor, who joins Penrith next season, said the defeat was a bitterly disappointing way to exit the club and the overall performance a microcosm of the team's season.



''It's attitude, our results this season have been outstanding against the good teams and not against the teams that are below us,'' Taylor said.



''We've played well some weeks and not shown up the next week.''



Under-fire Dragons coach Steve Price looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders after the game and said the club were desperate to send the veterans out on a high.



''That was an outstanding effort today, it doesn't get better than that,'' Price said.



''We spoke about it all week and leaving these great players on the terms they would want to leave in.



''They have been great players for our club, do a lot of work off the field, and are great family men.



''This is what you play footy for.''