With their first game together in late May, the partnership between Shaun Johnson and Metcalf didn’t immediately click, especially as Johnson has been such a dominant playmaking presence this season. But there have been good signs in recent weeks, as Metcalf – who had only played six NRL games when he arrived at the Warriors – found his place.
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“It gets better every week,” said Webster. “We are not trying to build so it goes from zero to 100, we are trying to build it slowly. The fruits of that came out. Those two have done really well, they have worked hard on it. It’s a combination that we are going to continue to see growing and we need that combination to work.”
But it will lead to a tricky decision for Webster, with the impending return of Kiwi international Te Maire Martin, who has been sidelined since a broken leg suffered in the round six loss to Newcastle. Martin had performed well at six until then, so it is a good headache to have.
Webster was also full of praise for the commitment of expectant father Johnson, who was determined to celebrate his 200th NRL match alongside a trio of teammates (Wayde Egan, Dylan Walker and Addin Fonua-Blake) also marking milestones, despite his domestic situation.
“It was all driven by him,” said Webster. “[Shaun] and his wife came up with that decision, not us as a club. We were super supportive for him to stay home because I get it, it’s a worrying time, [whether] you are going to be there or you are not.
“The big thing about Shaun, he just wants to win, he wants to win with his teammates, he didn’t want to go home to New Zealand and have his 200th, he wanted to do it with his mates. Shaun is about the team.”
Johnson took the first available flight from Sydney back on Sunday morning to be with wife Kayla, with their second child due on July 13.
“I hope Shaun gets to be there for the birth,” said Webster.
Overall Webster was delighted with the performance. The Eels were far from full strength – missing their entire first-choice spine and other key players – but they are never an easy proposition at home. After a disjointed start, where the Warriors invited constant pressure with a series of errors, they took the crowd out of the equation, creating havoc through the ruck and finishing well out wide.
“[There was] so much that I loved,” said Webster. “The first 20 minutes we weren’t real smart. We probably looked the better side but we weren’t executing, probably a bit of overplay. The last 20 minutes in the first half we were really ruthless, off the back of our kick chase, we put them in the corner.”
The performance was a boost, though they have much more intense contests to come. There was “lots” to work on and no one will be getting carried away, with second placed Cronulla to visit Mt Smart on Sunday (4pm).
“We’ve made a mistake before of getting carried away and looking too far ahead,” said Webster. “Cronulla are a very good side. Our defence is going to have to have a really big week to get ready for that challenge. They are a huge threat.”
The Warriors could also be without dynamic utility Dylan Walker, who left the field in the second half with a forearm injury. It appeared serious but Webster is optimistic.
“He thinks he fine,” said Webster. “He thinks it’s a nerve in his arm. Until he gets scanned it’s hard to tell but at the moment we are hoping he is okay.”
