Warriors coach Stephen Kearney sensationally accused his players of not trying hard enough and of lacking effort and conviction after a big loss to Newcastle on Saturday afternoon, promising consequences as soon as Sunday morning.

Against a resurgent Newcastle, the New Zealand side was never really in the contest, the Knights winning consecutive games for the first time since 2015. Kearney's post-game assessment of his players' commitment was surely the most brutal of any NRL coach in just as long.

"I thought it wasn't a pretty first half and it didn't get much prettier in the second half," Kearney said. "There were some guys out there trying very hard and there were some guys out there that weren't.

"There were some individuals whose effort was questionable and you can't have that. We were our own worst enemies. I don't think we played with enough conviction.