Warriors coach Andrew Webster’s mid-season assessment

"We are in a way better position now than we were at the start of the season," says Warriors coach Andrew Webster. Photo / Photosport

The Warriors have reached the halfway point of their season. Ahead of the match with the Cowboys tonight, Michael Burgess analyses the campaign so far, before coach Andrew Webster has an exclusive chat with the Herald for a progress report on 2024.

Until Sunday, May 19, the Warriors 2024 season was a story of ifs, buts and maybes. After the wonderful campaign last year, this one wasn’t going to plan. There was the opening hiccup against the Sharks at a sold-out Mt Smart, then the defeat in Melbourne on the buzzer.

Three consecutive wins got things going, before more pain; crushed by the Dragons, then the Anzac Day shock against Gold Coast. With an unprecedented injury count and form lapses, tough questions were being asked. Things reached a nadir against the Roosters, with their 12-minute barrage that yielded 22 points and everyone was under immense pressure, with Penrith at Suncorp Stadium the next assignment.

Then came the Magic Round miracle, as a patched-up team tipped over the three-time Premiers, a match that will live long in club folklore. Seven days later came another gritty win – with an experimental lineup – and the Warriors’ season was back on track.

The first half of the season yielded a 5-1-6 record. Not amazing but a lot better than it could have been.

They’ve struggled for a consistent lineup; only two players (Mitch Barnett and Jackson Ford) have played every game, with just another seven who have managed 10 or more. The Warriors have used four fullbacks, four hookers and numerous halves combinations, in an ever-changing spine. The biggest difference compared with 2023 has been the inability to ice the tight games, with close losses to the Sharks, Storm, Titans and Knights.

But the last fortnight was promising and there is now a platform to climb the table. Reaching the top four again is probably out of the question – unless there is a 2008-style run – but a playoff berth is still achievable.

Andrew, how do you look back on the first half of the season?

We had four six-day turnarounds [between round two and round eight] and we didn’t handle that period well. We came out of it really physically poor. We had hard games, lots of ball in play and physically it hurt us. If I had my time back again, I would have done things differently.

The whole time we have known what works for us but we have not executed it. We have made slight adjustments and in the last two games we have narrowed our focus, got back to knowing what wins and you can see the results. We look resilient and spirited.

The Warriors soak up their upset win over the Penrith Panthers with fans at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on May 19. Photo / Photosport

What was the best performance?

Canberra was so hard, we were behind on the scoreboard, under pressure to get our first win and the Raiders were really good that night. I loved that game. It was so tough. Souths weren’t going great but we were dominant and slowly but surely broke them down; it was death by a thousand cuts for the Rabbitohs. And then Penrith; with the context of the season, where we were at, the opponent, the number of injuries – that was a hell of a game.

What was the most disappointing game?

There are two. Against the Roosters, when we got blown away at the start. I know we fought hard for the rest of the game, but I hated that first 20 minutes. And when we played the Dragons we got belted. Our bodies were battered after that.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was one of the main pre-season topics, with his return to the sport and the debate over his best position. How do you feel about how he has been used?

I haven’t got the best out of Roger. Not at all. But I’m happy with where it is set up to go, though. It was always going to be a longer-term thing, he needed to settle into that position. But we haven’t played or attacked well enough to give him enough opportunities. There are a million different things around it, though we have seen glimpses. But I am optimistic; we are in a way better position now than we were at the start of the season to make the most of things.

Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. "I haven’t got the best out of Roger," says Webster. Photo / Photosport

You’ve been badly affected by injuries. As an example, forward Marata Niukore has only played a total of 74 minutes. Have much have you missed him?

He’s a great player, dominant, he puts fear into the opposition and he is so intimidating. He would have helped our chances if he was available but there were other parts of our game that weren’t going well enough at the time.

The Warriors seemed to be in a massive hole after that Roosters loss, especially with the shock of that opening barrage. The team were on a five-game streak without a win and picked up even more injuries. How did you deal with the first few days after that, knowing you had to play Penrith the following Sunday?

People won’t believe me, but it is the best I have felt after all our losses. Everything was so clear for me on the direction forward. It’s definitely one to look back on, in my book of lessons. I’m proud of the way I handled that overall period. There are a lot of things I did really well, as well as things I didn’t get right, I’m happy to admit that. But when the team got back together, two days after the Roosters match, I walked in so clear, knowing what we had to do.

Mitch Barnett celebrates the Warriors' win over the Panthers. Photo / Getty Images

How do you feel about the second half of the season?

I’m optimistic, I’m motivated. We are ready to work hard and execute what we want to do. I feel great about it. But it’s such a long journey and nothing is going to be handed to us, just because we feel good about things. We have to go out and earn it. But the last couple of weeks we looked like a team – we knew what we wanted to do and we did it. The way we played together was so impressive and I hope that continues.

Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.