Well, that was my most enjoyable season ever as a Warrior fan, and that includes the Daniel Anderson glory years. Mainly because with Anderson, you always had a feeling that at some point it would implode. His level of intensity was only ever going to be sustainable for a few seasons. But under Webby, you sense that this is a long term proposition. He's perfect for the club, and the club is perfect for him.
That said, I think he would've learned a lot of lessons through the year. His bench management - particularly as the season went on - was confusing; playing Walker at 6 was probably a mistake; and his game plans seemed a little rigid. There wasn't much out-of-the-box when out-of-the-box might have been needed at times.
But he had a team largely made up of journeymen, all of whom he managed to elevate to their maximum potential. It was Bellamy-esque in it's simplicity and execution. And all of this from a first year coach. It's easy to forget just how inexperienced he actually is. It was put into stark context a few weeks back when both he and Ivan Cleary were interviewed before the Panthers game. Ivan was listed as having 400+ NRL games as head coach, Webby was barely into in 20s!
To resurrect the club from arguably the worst season in Warrior's history - when someone as congenial as Stacey Jones questioned the passion for the jersey - to the meticulously positive environment it is today took a uniquely upbeat, thoughtful, analytical, and player-first person. It was only through good fortune and lucky timing that we landed this guy. Now we need to lock him in for the next decade.
But there will need to be changes to take another big leap forward. As many on here have noted, we're short of speed and X factor. There are too many journeymen and not enough game breakers. Guys like Montoya, Pompey, Ford, TMM, and Bunty will need to be replaced for us to really challenge the top two teams - who were clearly yards ahead of everyone else this year.
Ali, Zyon, and Demitric look like the most obvious prospects from within the squad. Halasima will be a weapon in a couple of years (he's blessed with the same sort of balance and athleticism of a Jonah Lomu). Cameron George mentioned in an interview recently that if they need to go out and buy an experienced half in the next season or two, they will. Which makes me think that they're no longer looking at Volkman as SJ's successor. Not surprising if true. He's been underwhelming every time he's had an opportunity in the top grade.
I'll be interested to see who they bring in to replace Morgan. It'll be Webby's first internal hire, so we'll get a pointer on what sort of character he wants around the club. Between Webby, Cappy, and CG, the right people are now running the ship. So it's onwards and upwards for what should be an awesome 2024!
