Two characters have been at the centre of the discussion - coach Matt Elliott and halfback Shaun Johnson - and both are dealing with the situation in their own way.
Elliott has faced calls for him to be sacked only 10 games into his tenure at Mt Smart Stadium and there is an increasingly growing body who question whether he's the right man to turn around the Warriors' fortunes.
He's fronted up to the criticism, believing he has to face it head-on, but looks like he's carrying a heavy burden and yesterday snapped at a radio journalist who had the temerity to wonder if he might have made more than two changes for Sunday's game against Newcastle.
"People who ask that question have got no idea of who's available," Elliott said. "I am sick of hearing it. It's a dumb question. Who are you going to bring in? You don't know because you haven't put any research into it."
It was, to borrow Elliott's vernacular, a 'dumb' response because coaches tend to last longer if they have the respect and backing of local media. But it was a reflection of the pressure Elliott is presently under.
"I would rather [the focus] not be on me," he said. "I'm not someone who adores standing here even in the good times. But that's what I sign up for. I don't hide in corners either. It's been a challenging week as a coach but that's what we do in sport at the elite level. We experience life on the epic stage. We have extreme highs... and the opposite occasionally.
"Blame is not something that works with me but I take responsibility because that's my job. If I don't take responsibility for it I have bugger-all chance of fixing anything.
"What prevailed [last weekend] is not new here but the fact it is still here is my fault. It's my responsibility. That's what you sign up for as a head coach. If you start blaming players for it, I think that's weak."
Johnson felt he was being held accountable for a lot of what happened last weekend when he was dragged from the field after just 49 minutes. It's very uncommon for halfbacks to be substituted and the 22-year-old said he felt "humiliated" and "embarrassed".
His reaction has divided opinion. Many fans labelled him petulant and a sook - and much worse - but Johnson has now accepted the situation.
"At the time I found it really hard to take because it felt like he was putting it all on me," said Johnson, who admitted he was relieved to be named in the starting side for Sunday. "I was thinking, 'I'm a halfback, I can't really stop 60-odd points'. But looking back, I can see why he did it.
"What has really got to me is that all of a sudden I've been terrible, crap, I'm a has-been, I'm a one-year man. Two or three weeks ago I'm pretty sure everyone was saying I'm heading in the right direction. It's a bit hard to get a bearing on."
It is, in reality, the lot of halfbacks. They are the fulcrum of the team and the ones everyone looks towards to provide control, class and creativity.
It's a job Johnson is willing to fulfil but he has found it tougher over the past 12 months since the departure of James Maloney to the Roosters - it could be argued Maloney effectively checked out of the Warriors midway through last season.
Any repeat of last week's effort will be disastrous for the Warriors both individually and collectively. After taking a couple of steps forward in recent weeks, they took a giant leap backwards against the Panthers and another capitulation will invite more invective.
That would only make the situation even more challenging.
