Staff Andrew Webster

[Riz]

Yeah!!! I posted this morning about my dream I had about our halves recruitment strategy last night.
This clear voice at 4am while I was fast asleep told me were not going to be recruiting another half this year and told me the reasons why in full. I posted this in the recruitment thread when I woke up. CRAZY but true !!!!!!!

I hope it wasn't the ghost of Geepee feeding you information again.

 

[Wrighty]

I hope it wasn't the ghost of Geepee feeding you information again.

I must come across as being a real character on this web site. I am actually a civil servant in real life and work with numbers.

 

[Riz]

I must come across as being a real character on this web site. I am actually a civil servant in real life and work with numbers.

It's all love Wrighty, the site would not be the same without you.

 

[Wrighty]

Thanks @Riz very heart warming !!! - I am going to bed now so will report on any dreams tomorrow. Stay tuned !!!!!!!!

 

[Worried2Death]

I must come across as being a real character on this web site. I am actually a civil servant in real life and work with numbers.

Not for us to judge whether you're a nut case or not Wrighty, time will tell if it was a dream or a premonition you had.
Mind you, dreaming about Webby and our halves options every night could be a symptom of something, I'm not a doctor.

 

[jonesy101]

Yeah!!! I posted this morning about my dream I had about our halves recruitment strategy last night.
This clear voice at 4am while I was fast asleep told me were not going to be recruiting another half this year and told me the reasons why in full. I posted this in the recruitment thread when I woke up. CRAZY but true !!!!!!!

Did your dream also confirm the rumor that DWZs perm is made of natural curls?

 

[Wrighty]

Did your dream also confirm the rumor that DWZs perm is made of natural curls?

No but I can confirm that on the most interesting 5 minutes of Once a Warrior ever Monty asked Dallin about his hair for 5 minutes straight to end the show and can confirm Dallin goes to the hairdresser to get it redone every two weeks!!! I go once every three months !!!!

 

[jonesy101]

No but I can confirm that on the most interesting 5 minutes of Once a Warrior ever Monty asked Dallin about his hair for 5 minutes straight to end the show and can confirm Dallin goes to the hairdresser to get it redone every two weeks!!! I go once every three months !!!!

Will you share the secret on how you can keep your perm for a full 3 months?

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I wish to make a post about the 2024 season and Andrew Webster.

What really was he supposed to do?

SJ started playing poorly. Suddenly we win three in a row, including Panthers, without Shaun and then Shaun recovers.
He had to pick Shaun even knowing it would probably make us lose by changing the halves chemistry.

Let's play this out. Maybe he keeps CHT and TMM and they keep winning and make it to round 2 of the playoffs before losing.

What is SJ supposed to be doing all of this time and where does he stand for the 2025 Season. Does he resign? I guess so but due to limited playing time and not his form or injuries. Mean time random people in the press are saying maybe we would have gone further in the playoffs with Shaun. And that we would have won with him as well and with more points. And maybe some of the players read all this and like Shaun and it just subtly damages his relationship with the dressing room. Not by a lot but maybe 20%.

It would have been pretty cold and to be honest heartless for the club to finish our SJ's career like that. The Warriors in the NRL would have lost respect from thousands of SJ fans who don't just live in New Zealand but also Australia as he loved by the ex pat community.

A similar but watered down story with CNKs very poor play at fullback. If he pulls the plug after only 5 or 6 bad games what are the intangible impacts of that on the dressing room and for Andrew's reputation with Mohawk and Cameron who both may have a relationship with CNK and like him.

Andrew faced the following completely unpredictable bad luck

1) CNK playing bad inexplicably
2) SJ playing bad inexplicably
3) Tohu Harris unpredictably being caught by Father time

ALL IN THE SAME SEASON with the same human dynamics and organisational behavior issues to deal with if he ruthlessly chops them.


Where to from here. I honestly feel it has been enough games from CNK and Harris at a sub optimal level that it can be something to work on and correct for the 2025 season. While being ruthless mid season this year would have been poor from a long term perspective there has to be some ruthlessness eventually.

CONCLUSION

The warriors won 9 games this year and drew one. Andrew kept the wheels on the cart and stopped it from being a 7 win season. Andrew shows he makes decisions from a long term welfare of the club perspective vs winning at all costs next week. I am pleased he did this. He is going to get us our championship and he is going to win another Dally M coach of the year. His biggest test is now and he picks the team for game one 2025.

I solidly agree. He gambled on some outcomes and he lost all of them. Unlucky. Saw some signs of hope in the last few rounds and maybe he did his best to stop our complete end of season collapse we have been known to do.

 

[Worried2Death]

Will you share the secret on how you can keep your perm for a full 3 months?

He only has his Dallin hair in his dreams. When Browny was coach, him and Wrighty were like Starsky and Hutch.

 

[Wrighty]

I solidly agree. He gambled on some outcomes and he lost all of them. Unlucky. Saw some signs of hope in the last few rounds and maybe he did his best to stop our complete end of season collapse we have been known to do.

And I think he had very reasonable justifications for those gambles or assumptions he built the team around.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

And I think he had very reasonable justifications for those gambles or assumptions he built the team around.

Of course. smart play to take the 90% bet everytime.

 

[Canadian_Warriors_Fan]

View: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0WJg9WrmxynKtISJ8RTZAv?si=cJVYTx6HSkyED9EFnPFuDw

 

[Wrighty]

Well that was fascinating about the halves

1) We will pick the top two before the season starts and other two will get their chances through injuries
2) His game plan is for us to be top 4. And for that to happen he both hoping and expecting at least one of our halves will step up and be one of the best in the NRL.

 

[mrblonde]

I wish to make a post about the 2024 season and Andrew Webster.

What really was he supposed to do?

SJ started playing poorly. Suddenly we win three in a row, including Panthers, without Shaun and then Shaun recovers.
He had to pick Shaun even knowing it would probably make us lose by changing the halves chemistry.

Let's play this out. Maybe he keeps CHT and TMM and they keep winning and make it to round 2 of the playoffs before losing.

What is SJ supposed to be doing all of this time and where does he stand for the 2025 Season. Does he resign? I guess so but due to limited playing time and not his form or injuries. Mean time random people in the press are saying maybe we would have gone further in the playoffs with Shaun. And that we would have won with him as well and with more points. And maybe some of the players read all this and like Shaun and it just subtly damages his relationship with the dressing room. Not by a lot but maybe 20%.

It would have been pretty cold and to be honest heartless for the club to finish our SJ's career like that. The Warriors in the NRL would have lost respect from thousands of SJ fans who don't just live in New Zealand but also Australia as he loved by the ex pat community.

A similar but watered down story with CNKs very poor play at fullback. If he pulls the plug after only 5 or 6 bad games what are the intangible impacts of that on the dressing room and for Andrew's reputation with Mohawk and Cameron who both may have a relationship with CNK and like him.

Andrew faced the following completely unpredictable bad luck

1) CNK playing bad inexplicably
2) SJ playing bad inexplicably
3) Tohu Harris unpredictably being caught by Father time

ALL IN THE SAME SEASON with the same human dynamics and organisational behavior issues to deal with if he ruthlessly chops them.


Where to from here. I honestly feel it has been enough games from CNK and Harris at a sub optimal level that it can be something to work on and correct for the 2025 season. While being ruthless mid season this year would have been poor from a long term perspective there has to be some ruthlessness eventually.

CONCLUSION

The warriors won 9 games this year and drew one. Andrew kept the wheels on the cart and stopped it from being a 7 win season. Andrew shows he makes decisions from a long term welfare of the club perspective vs winning at all costs next week. I am pleased he did this. He is going to get us our championship and he is going to win another Dally M coach of the year. His biggest test is now and he picks the team for game one 2025.

Re-reading this in January and now with TH announcing his immediate retirement. I agree totally with your assessment about the drop in popularity Mr Webster would have suffered had he dumped Shaun and made him an injury/form back-up half. I think Webby took the players' words for it when they said they wanted to fight through the injury and get back on the field ASAP, which is fair enough. The most cynical logic for doing this is that worst case Webby could have fronted the media and said "Hey, I just trusted SJ that said he'd get better, you'd have to ask him why that didn't happen!" , which also would have annoyed the beJaysus out of a whole heap of Warriors fans.

Begs the question: Should a coach take an aging player's word for it that they think they can come back from an injury, especially if it's a recurrance or just doesn't seem to be getting significanly better? Should the player's seniority/level of respect they're held in by the club and fans allow some leeway when Webby thinks "Mmmm. Nah. I think you might be gone, mate!"? Same with Webby making positional or bench/starting changes to what the player does going forward...

 

[Inruin]

Re-reading this in January and now with TH announcing his immediate retirement. I agree totally with your assessment about the drop in popularity Mr Webster would have suffered had he dumped Shaun and made him an injury/form back-up half. I think Webby took the players' words for it when they said they wanted to fight through the injury and get back on the field ASAP, which is fair enough. The most cynical logic for doing this is that worst case Webby could have fronted the media and said "Hey, I just trusted SJ that said he'd get better, you'd have to ask him why that didn't happen!" , which also would have annoyed the beJaysus out of a whole heap of Warriors fans.

Begs the question: Should a coach take an aging player's word for it that they think they can come back from an injury, especially if it's a recurrance or just doesn't seem to be getting significanly better? Should the player's seniority/level of respect they're held in by the club and fans allow some leeway when Webby thinks "Mmmm. Nah. I think you might be gone, mate!"? Same with Webby making positional or bench/starting changes to what the player does going forward...

I'm hoping AW has taken a lot out of last season. Can't help but wonder though, if SJ and Tohu had not retired whether he would be capable of making a tough but required call. It's been taken out of his hands now but that same situation will come up again.

 

[~Navigator~]

View: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0WJg9WrmxynKtISJ8RTZAv?si=cJVYTx6HSkyED9EFnPFuDw

Was definitely a good watch,
Thank you

 

[Makasene]

I'm hoping AW has taken a lot out of last season. Can't help but wonder though, if SJ and Tohu had not retired whether he would be capable of making a tough but required call. It's been taken out of his hands now but that same situation will come up again.

By the end of the season he already looked to have made some adjustments to his selection processes which was pleasing to see. That leaves in-game tactics as his biggest work on in my opinion. Which is why I would love to see an assistant coaching shake-up (I have also called for the installment of a coaching director but for some reason these appointments rarely work out - Ivan Cleary one day could be a terrific appointment).

I still think we have a diamond based on his current record of improving players under his coaching. Regression from injuries and age is not something that can be put on the coach.

All that being said, he has the squad to finish top-8. I'm not calling for any major achievements this season, but Top-8 is more than achievable.

 

[Playdaball]

If the Warriors have another bad year, will AW be under the pump to retain his coaching position? I believe that the club should have provided him with stronger assistant coaches.

 

[Inruin]

If the Warriors have another bad year, will AW be under the pump to retain his coaching position?

No

I believe that the club should have provided him with stronger assistant coaches.

Yes