General Warriors Preseason 2024

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Warriorshopeful said:
Would anyone be able to post this please? Assume it's just confirming what we already know RTS in centre but curious if there's anything new.
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The Warriors were just one victory away from playing in the 2023 grand final.

Rookie head coach Andrew Webster sits down with DAVID RICCIO to discuss the club’s resurgence and how he will maintain standards in 2024, while also addressing several positional conundrums.

David Riccio: Webby, let’s start with you. The Warriors told me at the time their decision to re-sign you was the quickest negotiations the club have ever done. Was it just as easy for you?

Andrew Webster: I had another two years to go and if the club wanted to leave it as is, I would’ve waited. But I had no intention in letting another club come along and try to sign me. So they asked me, do I want to stay? And I told them, ‘you know I do’, so it happened real quick. I want to be at the Warriors for as long as I can.

DR: It still is an extraordinary feat for a coach to have their contract extended after just their first full season. Do you recognise that?

AW: Yeah, I do. I’m very grateful. I said to them in the negotiations that over the next five years, not every year is going to be amazing. I hope they are. But I hope they see my real value when things aren’t going well, as opposed to when everything is rosy. They said that’s one of the reasons they signed me, they want to be in the trenches, just as what they do want me, when times are great.

DR: The Warriors 2023 season was remarkable. You were the fairytale story of the year. So how do you attack 2024? Is there one eye on the rear vision mirror and what made you successful, or is it the case that this is a new season, not much matters from 2023?

AW: I think heaps matters from last season. The results are one thing, but it’s more about what was important about our game? We’ll celebrate what we did very well, but our big emphasis is that we have to get miles better at what we’re really good at. What we were really good at, was to hold up under pressure and in the two finals games we lost against Penrith and Brisbane, we didn’t hold up under pressure. So we’re going after that from day one.

DR: You mentioned the finals losses against the Panthers and Broncos. Did you walk away thinking, if we add another layer we can become a premiership team? Or did you walk away feeling that the Warriors are still one rung below?

AW: No, I don’t think we’re a rung below. I’ve got heaps of respect for those two teams. And you can only prove where you stand by actually beating them and I’m super confident we can get there. I have so much belief in this team. If we come back with a great attitude and buy in like we did last year, I can see us with another 12-months of it, we can be amazing.

DR: Would there be one paramount statistic that you’d like to improve from 2023? Was there one stat that you saw in review that you thought, that definitely has to improve?

AW: Yeah, we were the third best defensive team and I think you need to be the best defensive team. That’s just the way it is. To go from last in defence to third best is an amazing feat. But it still doesn’t get it done. And we’re trying to get it done, so that’s where we need to get too.

DR: Shaun Johnson had a season that can be debated as his best year on record although he’s tweaked his ankle early this year. How confident are you, his form holds and so too his body, given that his calf flared up when it mattered most in the finals?

AW: He probably shouldn’t have played (in the preliminary final). It would have normally kept a player out for three or four weeks, but he wanted it so bad that he managed to play. I’ve got no doubt he can play just as well, if not better. The blokes around him will know what Shaun needs and wants even more so now. So long as Shaun comes back and wants to train like he did last pre-season, no doubt he can repeat it. Naturally, everyone will raise the bar for Shaun next season and they probably won’t think it looks as good. But if we win games and he has a huge impact on winning games, then he’s doing his job.’

DR: Is there absolute certainty that 2024 is his final season in the NRL?

AW: Everyone at the club and Shaun all know that if he wants to go around again and he’s playing good footy and there’s a spot for him, then we’ll go again. Our relationship is so good. When everyone was saying he was going to the Wests Tigers last year, I was always confident that if we sat down, which we did, it would work out. There’s no closing the door on it.

DR: Geez you’ve got some options at five-eighth. Who starts in round one?

AW: I’ve got three blokes fighting for one spot. It’s up to them. In no particular order Chanel Harris-Tavita, Te Mare Martin and Luke Metcalf will tell me who wants it by the way they train and build a combination with Shaun.

DR: So if he trains well, you would have no hesitation in starting Chanel in round one, even though he hasn’t played for one year?

AW: As I said, I’ll give every single one of them the best opportunity to start in round one. It doesn’t matter who they are. Chanel will be right in that discussion.

DR: The big comeback, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. How pumped are you to have him back?

AW: So pumped. He’s back training, he’s fit and looks amazing. Everyone is worried about him being too big from rugby union, but he’s looking great.

DR: He’s definitely playing centre?

AW: Definitely. We want the best team out there to win and Roger wanted that when we spoke to him.

DR: Addin Fonua-Blake’s future has been a major headline. How confident are you that he’s going to be all-in for 2024?

AW: If anything, I think he’s even more in. I’ve had some chats with him and I feel like he’s really keen to get some success and go out on a good note.

DR: The signing of Kurt Capewell is a major addition to the 2024 roster. What role will he play and what attributes can he bring to elevate the Warriors as a whole?

AW: He’ll play back row on either side of the field. He’s a smart footballer who competes on every play. He values the little things which will add to what we’re already doing. And what I like is his leadership around some of our younger players will really help develop our home grown talent.

DR: You speak of that younger talent, so lastly, give me a couple of blackbookers to keep an eye on. A couple of rising stars that you think we could see in the NRL next season?

AW: We’ve got some great kids. Demetric Sifakula played three games for us last year and will develop greatly from that. Big front-rower Zyon Maiu’u played every game in reserve grade last year and Jacob Laban, who is a big edge back-rower.
 
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The four clubs playing in the NRL’s historic season-opening double-header in Las Vegas have demanded an urgent meeting with Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys over several unresolved issues — including clarity around the players’ visas.

Manly, Brisbane, South Sydney and the Roosters leave for the US in less than a month ahead of matches at Allegiant Stadium on March 2.

Yet the four clubs are frustrated with head office about the lack of information concerning visas, medical insurance, training venues in Las Vegas and rising costs.

The club chief executives wrote to NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo on December 16 asking for a meeting to resolve the issues.

At the time, Abdo was on a week-long promotional tour in the US city with handpicked players and reporters, including the Herald.

Frustrated by the NRL’s lack of urgency, they have since insisted V’landys attend the meeting.

The situation reached boiling point on Friday when the NRL’s advice about visas dramatically changed.

For months, the NRL indicated to the clubs that players could travel to the US on an ESTA, which waives the traveller from needing a visa. The Broncos sought their own travel advice while the other clubs were concerned about players being stopped and turned around by US customs officers. They had been asking for a definitive answer about visas since October 18.

On Friday, the NRL emailed the clubs to tell them that players now had three options, each of them graded in relation to how easy it would be to enter the US: an athletes’ visa (most conservative); a visitors’ visa (conservative); and an ESTA (least conservative).

It also warned that players who had been previously arrested by the police in Australia could face challenges getting into the US.

Speaking on behalf of the four clubs, South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly maintained they supported the ambitious project to crack the US market, but wanted the issues resolved as soon as possible.

“The four clubs are completely supportive of the NRL’s vision for the USA and the match in Las Vegas,” Solly said. “An ambitious project of this nature is always going to have its logistical challenges, like the visa issue. Ideally, these logistical issues are solved ASAP, so we can focus solely on promoting the game and working with the NRL to ensure this event is the success it deserves to be”.

Asked why the clubs had insisted V’landys take a more hands-on approach, Solly said: “As we get closer to the match, we felt the preparation needed Peter’s energy and unique ability to ‘get things done’.”

Abdo would not specifically address the clubs’ concerns, but told this masthead: “Anything new like this is going to have its challenges. We’re working really hard to resolve some of the issues we’re facing given the scale and magnitude of this. I’m confident the appropriate solutions will be in place as a matter of priority in coming days and weeks.”

V’landys vowed to rectify the clubs’ concerns.

“I understand their frustrations,” he said. “However, I’m a 100 per cent confident all the matters will be resolved very quickly. I appreciate their strong support for the concept. We’re all on the same team promoting this. If it succeeds, it could be one of the greatest things to happen to the game.”

The NRL’s plans to play the double-header in Las Vegas were first reported in late April last year.

It was part of V’landys’ desire to increase revenue for international broadcast rights and US wagering revenue, which has exploded in recent years as various states legalise betting.

Months later, it was revealed the Sea Eagles would play the Rabbitohs in the first match of the double-header followed by the Broncos taking on the Roosters in the second.

However, there have been increasing concerns about the success of the project.

Abdo officially launched the double-header at Allegiant Stadium on December 13, including a partnership with the UFC, a sport that dominates the Vegas sporting landscape.

But ticket sales have barely moved since. According to V’landys, about 21,000 have been sold — only a thousand since the promotional tour that involved South centre Campbell Graham, Brisbane hooker Billy Walters, Roosters forward Spencer Leniu and Manly’s Aaron Woods.

The double-header has been heavily promoted in the US on Fox Sports 1, which will broadcast both matches, while V’landys said a broader campaign would be launched in coming weeks.

“You need to look for the next frontier,” V’landys said. “You need things that are going to improve the game. You can rest on your laurels, but that’s not me. You have to look for these challenges. I really believe in this one; that in years to come I will hopefully be proven right.

“It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take a few years. The US has a market of over 340 million people … everything suggests it will succeed. I’ve learned in life that things are only successful if implemented correctly
 
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Not the perfect place for this post - but it can go here.
I started watching the Warriors in 2018
Here is my team of the last 6 years

1 CNK
2 Fusitua
3 Hiku
4 Roger (cheating a bit here but can't think of anyone else)
5 DWZ
6 Blake Green
7 Johnson
8 AFB
9 Egan
10 Paasi
11 Niukore
12 Harris
13 Mannering

14 Walker
15 Barnett
16 Gavet
17 Isaac Luke
 
Billyspleen75 said:
The Warriors were just one victory away from playing in the 2023 grand final.

Rookie head coach Andrew Webster sits down with DAVID RICCIO to discuss the club’s resurgence and how he will maintain standards in 2024, while also addressing several positional conundrums.

David Riccio: Webby, let’s start with you. The Warriors told me at the time their decision to re-sign you was the quickest negotiations the club have ever done. Was it just as easy for you?

Andrew Webster: I had another two years to go and if the club wanted to leave it as is, I would’ve waited. But I had no intention in letting another club come along and try to sign me. So they asked me, do I want to stay? And I told them, ‘you know I do’, so it happened real quick. I want to be at the Warriors for as long as I can.

DR: It still is an extraordinary feat for a coach to have their contract extended after just their first full season. Do you recognise that?

AW: Yeah, I do. I’m very grateful. I said to them in the negotiations that over the next five years, not every year is going to be amazing. I hope they are. But I hope they see my real value when things aren’t going well, as opposed to when everything is rosy. They said that’s one of the reasons they signed me, they want to be in the trenches, just as what they do want me, when times are great.

DR: The Warriors 2023 season was remarkable. You were the fairytale story of the year. So how do you attack 2024? Is there one eye on the rear vision mirror and what made you successful, or is it the case that this is a new season, not much matters from 2023?

AW: I think heaps matters from last season. The results are one thing, but it’s more about what was important about our game? We’ll celebrate what we did very well, but our big emphasis is that we have to get miles better at what we’re really good at. What we were really good at, was to hold up under pressure and in the two finals games we lost against Penrith and Brisbane, we didn’t hold up under pressure. So we’re going after that from day one.

DR: You mentioned the finals losses against the Panthers and Broncos. Did you walk away thinking, if we add another layer we can become a premiership team? Or did you walk away feeling that the Warriors are still one rung below?

AW: No, I don’t think we’re a rung below. I’ve got heaps of respect for those two teams. And you can only prove where you stand by actually beating them and I’m super confident we can get there. I have so much belief in this team. If we come back with a great attitude and buy in like we did last year, I can see us with another 12-months of it, we can be amazing.

DR: Would there be one paramount statistic that you’d like to improve from 2023? Was there one stat that you saw in review that you thought, that definitely has to improve?

AW: Yeah, we were the third best defensive team and I think you need to be the best defensive team. That’s just the way it is. To go from last in defence to third best is an amazing feat. But it still doesn’t get it done. And we’re trying to get it done, so that’s where we need to get too.

DR: Shaun Johnson had a season that can be debated as his best year on record although he’s tweaked his ankle early this year. How confident are you, his form holds and so too his body, given that his calf flared up when it mattered most in the finals?

AW: He probably shouldn’t have played (in the preliminary final). It would have normally kept a player out for three or four weeks, but he wanted it so bad that he managed to play. I’ve got no doubt he can play just as well, if not better. The blokes around him will know what Shaun needs and wants even more so now. So long as Shaun comes back and wants to train like he did last pre-season, no doubt he can repeat it. Naturally, everyone will raise the bar for Shaun next season and they probably won’t think it looks as good. But if we win games and he has a huge impact on winning games, then he’s doing his job.’

DR: Is there absolute certainty that 2024 is his final season in the NRL?

AW: Everyone at the club and Shaun all know that if he wants to go around again and he’s playing good footy and there’s a spot for him, then we’ll go again. Our relationship is so good. When everyone was saying he was going to the Wests Tigers last year, I was always confident that if we sat down, which we did, it would work out. There’s no closing the door on it.

DR: Geez you’ve got some options at five-eighth. Who starts in round one?

AW: I’ve got three blokes fighting for one spot. It’s up to them. In no particular order Chanel Harris-Tavita, Te Mare Martin and Luke Metcalf will tell me who wants it by the way they train and build a combination with Shaun.

DR: So if he trains well, you would have no hesitation in starting Chanel in round one, even though he hasn’t played for one year?

AW: As I said, I’ll give every single one of them the best opportunity to start in round one. It doesn’t matter who they are. Chanel will be right in that discussion.

DR: The big comeback, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. How pumped are you to have him back?

AW: So pumped. He’s back training, he’s fit and looks amazing. Everyone is worried about him being too big from rugby union, but he’s looking great.

DR: He’s definitely playing centre?

AW: Definitely. We want the best team out there to win and Roger wanted that when we spoke to him.

DR: Addin Fonua-Blake’s future has been a major headline. How confident are you that he’s going to be all-in for 2024?

AW: If anything, I think he’s even more in. I’ve had some chats with him and I feel like he’s really keen to get some success and go out on a good note.

DR: The signing of Kurt Capewell is a major addition to the 2024 roster. What role will he play and what attributes can he bring to elevate the Warriors as a whole?

AW: He’ll play back row on either side of the field. He’s a smart footballer who competes on every play. He values the little things which will add to what we’re already doing. And what I like is his leadership around some of our younger players will really help develop our home grown talent.

DR: You speak of that younger talent, so lastly, give me a couple of blackbookers to keep an eye on. A couple of rising stars that you think we could see in the NRL next season?

AW: We’ve got some great kids. Demetric Sifakula played three games for us last year and will develop greatly from that. Big front-rower Zyon Maiu’u played every game in reserve grade last year and Jacob Laban, who is a big edge back-rower.
Click to expand...

I started following sports at eight years old and am now 51
Right now I rate Webster as the best coach I have come across in either
1) Cricket
2) Union
3) League
4) NHL

I have two university degrees including a masters degree, I work with PHDs in my team at work, He is smarter than anyone I have come across.
I don't know what we did to deserve him.
He was offered the Warriors head coach coach two years ago and he said he wasn't ready for the responsibility yet while Benji is now head coach after a one year apprenticeship. Webster if he was in Benji's shoes would have said no and sad it is coming too soon.
This article above just reinforces my opinion about him. He sounds like a mastermind.

Webster is the best asset the warriors have and not SJ or AFB.
 
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[IMG alt="McHunt"]https://broncoshq.com/data/avatars/m/9/9853.jpg?1648768486[/IMG]

McHunt​

International Rep​

Contributor
Aug 26, 201815,59427,827
Dave Ballard:

"Adam picked up the injury in a drill towards the end of today's session. He had a scan this afternoon at the Qscan Clive Berghofer Centre facility which showed a foot muscle strain. We'll see how Adam pulls up over the next 24 hours but he is a quick healer and we expect him to be back running in the coming days."

From Broncos forum.
 
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