Staff Andrew Webster

[sup42]

hope that's still true when uncle Nick comes with multiple brown paper bags of cash looking for Webby to take over from Robinson when he eventually retires. He may love it here but his connections are probably still back in Australia. The pessimist in me tells me he eventually goes back after a couple more good seasons with us. But the optimist in me thinks he wants to be the coach that wins our maiden premiership. So maybe that is enough to get the Aussie vipers off his tail.

If Webster was about the cash he would never have come to try to right the Titanic of the NRL.

If he was financially motivated then he would have looked to sign a future deal with another NRL club after winning the Dally M coach of the year.

Mate this guys entire history in the game is about being David vs Golliath.

He literally gets off on trying to get an underdog to beat the big names in Rugby league.

Websters first coaching assignment was in America, he took on the Connecticut wild cats as a player coach, he took them to a GF and lost.

So going offshore for challenges is in this guys dna, he literally breaths challenges outside of the conventional system.

To reinforce that statement Websters next coaching assignment was in England with the Hull Kingston Rovers as an assistant.

After that he returned to Aussie for a year under the Eels, but decided to go back to the Hull Kingston Rovers for another 3 seasons.

See the pattern here? Hull KR are a shit club in search of a 'this is our year' season. Webster has returned to the Warriors for the second time for the same reason.

After that Webster bounced around between the Eels and Tigers (his home club) in the lower grades....before he came here in 201 5 under Cappy.

It has never been discussed on this Forum but I guarantee you that the main reason Webster wants to stay here for a decade in his own words is that the club also agreed to hire McFadden.

I bet you that during the time they were together here in 2015 those two men formed a friendship and social circle with wives and kids, I guarantee you that those two had beer fueled rants about what the Warriors could be if they had the support of management.

And here we are now, Webster and McFadden back together, finally able to construct that thing they both would have (as recognized footy nerds who love the NZ life style) planned years ago over a bbq on the Coromandel with smoke in the air and sand in their toes.

Webster is looking for the big prize, the permanence of being the first ever coach to win a title for an entire nation.

Nick Politis can offer all the money he wants, Mowhawk I guarantee you would counter in a fashion that may not be Billionaire rates, but would make Webster a wealthy man in his own right.

Lets not forget bro that Mt Smart is a sell out two years in a row under Webster, money is a non issue the business is well and truly in the black here and could make Webster a multi millionaire quite comfortably without denting the Warriors brands revenue.

 

[Wah's Up]

If Webster was about the cash he would never have come to try to right the Titanic of the NRL.

If he was financially motivated then he would have looked to sign a future deal with another NRL club after winning the Dally M coach of the year.

Mate this guys entire history in the game is about being David vs Golliath.

He literally gets off on trying to get an underdog to beat the big names in Rugby league.

Websters first coaching assignment was in America, he took on the Connecticut wild cats as a player coach, he took them to a GF and lost.

So going offshore for challenges is in this guys dna, he literally breaths challenges outside of the conventional system.

To reinforce that statement Websters next coaching assignment was in England with the Hull Kingston Rovers as an assistant.

After that he returned to Aussie for a year under the Eels, but decided to go back to the Hull Kingston Rovers for another 3 seasons.

See the pattern here? Hull KR are a shit club in search of a 'this is our year' season. Webster has returned to the Warriors for the second time for the same reason.

After that Webster bounced around between the Eels and Tigers (his home club) in the lower grades....before he came here in 201 5 under Cappy.

It has never been discussed on this Forum but I guarantee you that the main reason Webster wants to stay here for a decade in his own words is that the club also agreed to hire McFadden.

I bet you that during the time they were together here in 2015 those two men formed a friendship and social circle with wives and kids, I guarantee you that those two had beer fueled rants about what the Warriors could be if they had the support of management.

And here we are now, Webster and McFadden back together, finally able to construct that thing they both would have (as recognized footy nerds who love the NZ life style) planned years ago over a bbq on the Coromandel with smoke in the air and sand in their toes.

Webster is looking for the big prize, the permanence of being the first ever coach to win a title for an entire nation.

Nick Politis can offer all the money he wants, Mowhawk I guarantee you would counter in a fashion that may not be Billionaire rates, but would make Webster a wealthy man in his own right.

Lets not forget bro that Mt Smart is a sell out two years in a row under Webster, money is a non issue the business is well and truly in the black here and could make Webster a multi millionaire quite comfortably without denting the Warriors brands revenue.

You must be a touch typist Sup, I would have taken a week to write that "War and Peace" analysis with my hunt and slap typist skills. My replies are therefore shorter and more succinct, but well said.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

I guarantee you that those two had beer fueled rants about what the Warriors could be if they had the support of management.

This is an interesting take as it's a very normal thing to 'fix the world' over a few bevvys.

I'd never thought about it like that.

 

[Rick O’Shay]

Very well put sup and we can all relate to unfinished business in our lives.

Always had a soft spot for Cappy, he taught us shape and if wasn't for the corrosive team atmosphere and piss weak management, he may have been the head coach with Webby the back up/recruitment/pathways guy.

The other thing I've noticed lately is that the two of them are the only mouthpieces for the club. No Cam and no Mohawk. Grade coaches get a bit of a mention but that's it.

Tight ship

 

[John Nick]

Very well put sup and we can all relate to unfinished business in our lives.

Always had a soft spot for Cappy, he taught us shape and if wasn't for the corrosive team atmosphere and piss weak management, he may have been the head coach with Webby the back up/recruitment/pathways guy.

The other thing I've noticed lately is that the two of them are the only mouthpieces for the club. No Cam and no Mohawk. Grade coaches get a bit of a mention but that's it.

Tight ship

Great summation Rick

 

[The Undertaker]

Webby and McFadden together for a decade or more at the Wahs will right the wrongs of letting Ivan go all those years ago. 4 in a row incoming in due course…

 

[mt.wellington]

I'll tell you how I know Webster is a great coach. Name one player whose development has regressed or stagnated under his watch? Tell me that Mitch Barnetts rise from Newcastle Knights journeyman to State of Origin and Kangaroos rep isnt in some part due to Websters mentoring. Jackson Ford going from a Dragons cast off to regular starter. The rise of juniors like Leka Halasima, Rocco Berry, Ali Leiataua, Demetric Vaimauga, Taine Tauupiki and Jacob Laban. The seamless debuts of Kalani Going, Sam Healey, Moala Graham-Taufa and Tanners Stowers-Smith. How players like Marata Niukore and Erin Clark have been able to find another gear. When Webster told us Luke Metcalf was our prince in waiting and to just be patient, was he wrong? Even the much maligned Edward Kosi looks decent under Websters stewardship.

When you think of the coaches with a reputation for getting the best out of players like Webster you see he's in some esteemed company. Now its still early days for Webster but its very clear to me that he's a great man manager and a natural leader. The players seem to have the utmost respect for him. He's slowly turning the team into a competitive force. Given time I know he'll take us to the promised land. Andrew Webster is that guy...

 

[Beastmode]

You guys are fucking great

Go back a few pages and everyone was questioning whether to sack the guy now we’re back up loving him again ….

 

[j_p]

You guys are fucking great

Go back a few pages and everyone was questioning whether to sack the guy now we’re back up loving him again ….

Notice the same thing in regards to players. Sports fans are very fickle. Compare posts about CNK from not too long ago to now after his last performance...

 

[MaybeTop8]

I'll tell you how I know Webster is a great coach. Name one player whose development has regressed or stagnated under his watch? Tell me that Mitch Barnetts rise from Newcastle Knights journeyman to State of Origin and Kangaroos rep isnt in some part due to Websters mentoring. Jackson Ford going from a Dragons cast off to regular starter. The rise of juniors like Leka Halasima, Rocco Berry, Ali Leiataua, Demetric Vaimauga, Taine Tauupiki and Jacob Laban. The seamless debuts of Kalani Going, Sam Healey, Moala Graham-Taufa and Tanners Stowers-Smith. How players like Marata Niukore and Erin Clark have been able to find another gear. When Webster told us Luke Metcalf was our prince in waiting and to just be patient, was he wrong? Even the much maligned Edward Kosi looks decent under Websters stewardship.

When you think of the coaches with a reputation for getting the best out of players like Webster you see he's in some esteemed company. Now its still early days for Webster but its very clear to me that he's a great man manager and a natural leader. The players seem to have the utmost respect for him. He's slowly turning the team into a competitive force. Given time I know he'll take us to the promised land. Andrew Webster is that guy...

Great post

 

[Beastmode]

Dear Andrew

I hope this message finds you well.

Over my 20 years of coaching from the couch, I have come to a significant realization: good teams improve as the season progresses.
Please bear with me, as the point I wish to make is not immediately obvious.

Our style of play has been quite safe and conservative. Many would argue that this approach has secured our position in the top four after 21 rounds of rugby.
They believe it is too late in the season to make any changes, and the same argument is made for not dropping senior players.

However, if we continue with this low-risk, safety-first approach, we risk being outplayed in the remaining rounds of the season.
This strategy worked earlier when teams were still adjusting, but now, as the season concludes, their error rates have decreased and their attention to detail has increased.
Essentially, playing it safe will likely result in losses nine times out of ten.

Andrew you need a game strategy that evolves throughout the season.
While starting with a low-risk, conservative approach is sensible, we must transition to a more expansive style as the season progresses.
Currently, we are stuck in first gear while other teams, notably Penrith, are firing on all cylinders.

Our reliance on non-contested bombs, the lack of offloads, and the failure to hold senior players accountable for recurring mistakes, such as DWZ, are not winning the trust and support of the team and fans.

The style of play last night mirrored the same approach we've had since round one.
The problem now is that the opposition is more focused, determined, and has studied our conservative, non-threatening approach.
The Titans executed this perfectly by keeping possession, avoiding mistakes, identifying our weaknesses, particularly on the right side, and using their speed and decoy runners to exploit those weaknesses.
This resulted in an easy victory for them. We put zero pressure on them.

We didnt deserve to win, we didnt win, and we wont win if this is the game plan for the rest of the season.

Wake up and smell the coffee Andrew. It’s still not too late for 2025.

If you need more proof, consider the 2023 finals, particularly the game against the Broncos. We stuck to our usual approach of not contesting bombs and exerting zero pressure on them. On the other hand, the Broncos suddenly employed a full offload strategy, continuously passing and playing expansive finals football. This approach could have, and probably should have, won them the Grand Final if it weren't for the individual heroics of Nathan Cleary. The strategy and formulation for winning finals football were clear.

It's time to abandon the conservative approach. Now is the moment to step things up, Andrew. Make the changes. It's not too late.

Kind regards
AI Co-Pilot aka Beastmode.

 

[Playdaball]

I still believe that we need to provide Webster with an experienced NRL assistant coach to act as a sounding board, mentor, challenge him and provide new ideas - perhaps this is the case with Jones, Agar and Griffin??

 

[Tonbridge(aka Swanley)]

We need pace on the fringes, that's a major flaw of ours.

 

[Kav1]

Im feeling very 2022ish about the Warriors at the moment. I am struggling to care enough to get invested. I'm more interested in how a team like the tigers go this season. I just have this nagging bad feeling that we aren't going to play a good style of football to watch, we are going to struggle to be competitive and we aren't going to win many games. I actually am struggling to see who could be below us at the end of the season and prevent us from taking the spoon. I know it's only one game in but I really don't have any faith in the team or the coach to be able to fix this at the moment. This next round will tell us everything I think. The team is under fire and the good coaches use it to get a response from the players. Ricky Stuart would have his team absolutely firing in this situation. Let's see what we get in 10 days time.

Don't lose heart we are still one and a half points ahead of Penrith as our nearest opponent. We were disappointing against the Titans but we are still up there. Opposing teams will be thinking we are easy beats so we have to show them we are not. The media will also write us off so we must prove them wrong and enjoy doing it. Time to put that loss behind us and concentrate on the Dolphins.

 

[Worried2Death]

Don't lose heart we are still one and a half points ahead of Penrith as our nearest opponent. We were disappointing against the Titans but we are still up there. Opposing teams will be thinking we are easy beats so we have to show them we are not. The media will also write us off so we must prove them wrong and enjoy doing it. Time to put that loss behind us and concentrate on the Dolphins.

Ehh... nope, still too angry. I hope during the presser fish took the boys aside when the coach wasn't there and said if you do that again I will paddle you around the head until your mum doesn't recognise you.

 

[Canonball]

Ehh... nope, still too angry. I hope during the presser fish took the boys aside when the coach wasn't there and said if you do that again I will paddle you around the head until your mum doesn't recognise you.

I want to know what the story was there eh - why Capewell was there and not Fish... did Webby put him in that position because of the shitty right side? When we talk about Coaching, not having your squad captain alongside you at the after-match presser was an obvious coaches call and yet one asked about it ...

 

[sup42]

I want to know what the story was there eh - why Capewell was there and not Fish... did Webby put him in that position because of the shitty right side? When we talk about Coaching, not having your squad captain alongside you at the after-match presser was an obvious coaches call and yet one asked about it ...

Over thinking it.

I am sure JFH had other commitments either personal or medical.

It is not Websters style to put someone in that position to answer to the media for that scenario you paint, no coach does that, deliberately put players that are under the spotlight next to them in the post match.

Webster doesn't need anyone to back him up, have you the guy talk? he could sell Ice to Eskimos.

Those pressers are nothing more that a forced charade that is mandatory for the coaches and Captains at the directive of the NRL, sure some coaches try to weaponize it to put pressure on officials, the rest is just fluff that the club staff don't really give a shit about.

It is a promotional gimmick to sell the NRL product to the masses and none of it really means anything - fans lap that shit up but.

I don't even bother watching them, might as well watch TV adds, it is the same animal.

 

[Canonball]

Over thinking it.

I am sure JFH had other commitments either personal or medical.

It is not Websters style to put someone in that position to answer to the media for that scenario you paint, no coach does that, deliberately put players that are under the spotlight next to them in the post match.

Webster doesn't need anyone to back him up, have you the guy talk? he could sell Ice to Eskimos.

Those pressers are nothing more that a forced charade that is mandatory for the coaches and Captains at the directive of the NRL, sure some coaches try to weaponize it to put pressure on officials, the rest is just fluff that the club staff don't really give a shit about.

It is a promotional gimmick to sell the NRL product to the masses and none of it really means anything - fans lap that shit up but.

I don't even bother watching them, might as well watch TV adds, it is the same animal.

Yeah, I know -well known over thinker here ... I enjoy the pressers, mainly because of what Webster brings to them - tho I miss the buddy-movie which was Webster and Tohu

 

[Brightman]

I still believe that we need to provide Webster with an experienced NRL assistant coach to act as a sounding board, mentor, challenge him and provide new ideas - perhaps this is the case with Jones, Agar and Griffin??

We're sitting in 4th place with several season ending injuries to key players/positions and a number of rookies in the engine room.

Just inhale.. #420

 

[Brightman]

I wonder if Webby and the coaching staff believe we'd be best placed in 5th position running into the finals, that would give us a home final against the 8th placed team..