I have some things to say about
Andrew Webster....so as this is his thread will say it here.
In one of his initial interviews he hinted he saw the Warriors as a wonderful opportunity and that he could always move back to Australia 4-5 years later once he had runs on the board as a head coach.
For a split second I was a bit insulted but then realised I would think the same thing if i went and worked in Australia. I might see it as temporary before coming home to NZ. So I then decided it was refreshingly honest of him and have since found him in the two years I have observed him to continue to be very honest and transparent with the Warriors fan base. You may not agree with his decisions but you can see where he is coming from when he make his call.
He has been here two years. First year everything that could go right did go right. 2024 hold my beer because everything that could go wrong. Including the entire spine (even when you include Lock) had an average or below every year. All of them when you factor in injuries.
Despite our poor year the Warriors and Warriors management are backing him for next year. And if he loses his first 7 games in a row to start next season we will still back him.
I hope when Andrew sits back and reflects on 2024 that he is grateful to be at such a supportive club and with such loyal fans.
The key mistakes he made this year were all eminently defendable.
1) We won three games in a row with TMM and CHT and he brought back
SJ only for us to start losing again. That was a defendable decision.
SJ was Dally M Halfback last year. Not 5 years ago. Last year.
2) Kept backing
Tohu Harris even when he seemed to lose his flexibility to bend over or get up quickly of the ground. Very defendable position as Tohu was captain which makes it hard to drop him. Watch for Webster to make JFH captain next year to give him more wiggle room for how to handle Tohu.
I could go on. All of his decisions he made were defendable and reasonable even if it context of the crazy year we were having they led to more losses.
Those two decisions above do show that whatever decisions he makes for the season during pre-season he is going to stick to.
As he matures as a coach he will learn to completely change tact half way through a season.
In round one next year, injuries notwithstanding, we will get a blueprint and will know how many of our 2024 lessons he has addressed and how many we are doomed to relive next year.
Will he recogise that goal kicking is crucial?
Who will be fullback?
And about ten other questions we are all wondering about.
Here is my ranking of Warriors coaches in my tenure since 2017
Hold your underwear there is a surprise below that will upset some of you.
1)
Andrew Webster - took us top 4
2) Stpehen Kearney - took us to top 8 - he is my hold your underwear comment. As time goes on he will be remembered more fondly. Had we retained Johnson - which was not SK's fault - we would have made the playoffs several years in a row making him one of the more successful warriors coaches ever. He got us to top 8 with
Ken Maumalo on the wing. Let that sink in.
3)
Nathan Brown - Useless as a coach but he is and always will the best coach at building a roster in the NRL. Webster's 2023 was based on the team Brown built.
4) Payten - Solid NRL coach. Put him last as his method of announcing his decision to take on Cowboys job over the warriors made him look like he was immature and just wanted to have his mask on TV all the time. He has since settled down for the Cowboys and behaves normally on TV interviews without wanting to say profound headline grabbing comments.