Widnes Vikings coach Denis Betts has admitted that inconsistency might cost his side a top-eight place in the Super League table.
The Vikings suffered a fourth consecutive defeat in the competition on Sunday as they were beaten 34-20 by Castleford Tigers.
With 10th-placed Widnes now in danger of finishing outside the top eight at the split, Betts concedes that his players need to put a positive run of form together quickly.
"It's an uphill struggle. We're in a bit of hole at the moment - we've got patches in games when we're playing exceptionally well and patches that aren't good enough," he told BBC Sport. "It's been a disappointing year so far but we've had some really good performances in there."
The Vikings return to Super League action on July 12 when they host Catalans Dragons.
