Yeah a good season for sure. Especially now that the pressure is off and you can look back over the whole season and appreciate that we went from a club rebuild with multiple departures of senior players and the retirement of our generational half back. To ride in the top four for most of that was incredible.
The best part was the last game, after all the talk about Penrith or any of the elite sides giving us a hiding, and the claims that we did not belong in the top four-we certainly were beating Penrith up in stages of that game.
It shits me that people claim Penrith did not play well, ah are you blind? no team can play well when the opposition is folding them and driving them back in gang tackles through ultra fast line speed and uber aggressive contact.
Add to that the way we fixed our edge defence when it mattered, leaving Penrith clue less when their deadly shifts couldn't do shit against our players.
That was one of the best Warrior performances, it is unfortunate that it was spoiled by freak mix of talent and luck care of one player, Nathan CLeary, I really hate that guy.
The best thing about this season was
Webster went deep into the reserve grade drawer and the unlikely arrival of
TSS and
EIT as NRL regulars. I mean that is going really deep down the list of possibles.
Next year we have some really exciting young forwards that will feature regularly, you have some genuine quality in
Leka, Dimitric,
Laban,
Gannon and probably Fatialofa to look forward to seeing out there at some stage.
Those guys can really play, all of them are talented, mobile, fast, aggressive and explosive.
EIT, I haven't forgotten him, he is quick when he gets in the clear he is gone, and Fatialofa is faster than most NRL forwards.
Also
Webster found a place for Healy, so he knows exactly what we have, he knows Healy is a talent, people need to get off Websters back, he played the lad in the finals ffs.
Then for those quibbling about our lack of pace out wide, consider that there are going to be some fast players pushing for spots next season.
These guys are quick:
Linane
Leiataua
Metcalf
DWZ
Kali
Ali would be the slowest out of that lot, and he is not too slow for a center, but there is plenty of speed.
We will be leaping for kicks on the try line next year.
You have aerial players galore in this young crop.
Mellars
Leka
Laban
Eit
Gannon
Dimitric
These are all known attacking kick contesting players.
If this season has taught us anything it is that our team will change next year significantly as
Webster sees when young players are ready.
Metcalf will be another year older and more settled as a halfback,
CHT will find a spot if Linane pushes him out, and of course we may even see Cleary get a run if there are a bunch of injuries to the guys ahead of him.
All this is to say the club is in a great place and the defence this team constructed in that finals match is the key to winning a premiership, I am sure
Webster will get the guys to watch their performance with some pride and lots of learning for next year.