Are the 2024 Warriors better than the 2023 Warriors? Can we go all the way?

[Manu Vatuvei]

Last year may have been an outlier for this team based on the talent level. Compare to the Roosters, Broncos and Panthers squad and its not really close, yet we somehow made the top 4.

Yeah, I've heard a lot of comments along the lines of us having a very strong squad but that is massively dependent on the reappraisal of a lot of our players that has occurred over the last 18 months. This is largely the same squad that was seen as a wooden spoon contender at the start of last year.

Guys like DWZ, Montoya, CNK, Metcalf/TMM, Ford, Walker, were not perceived as even above-average first graders prior to the team's resurgence. That's not to say that all those names are in the same category (I rate some of them a lot more than others), it's just a comment on the perceived quality of the squad changing massively because players in good teams become perceived as good players.

Guys like Egan and Barnett are solid players but their stock has skyrocketed in the last year or so.

And then you have the biggest perception shift of all, the completely washed up SJ being seen as an elite half again.

As a natural cynic I also wasn't bullish about RTS coming back to league aged 30 and playing a new position either, and I think that was justified.

It will only take a continuation of this being a bad season, and the squad will look weak again on paper.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Broncos’ Walsh to take ‘chill pill’, Gosiewski debuts

Brisbane coach Kevin Walters has told fullback Reece Walsh not to overplay his hand too early in the away clash with Parramatta.

www.smh.com.au

“Jack is covering that Kurt Capewell role from last year - if we lost an outside back last year Kurt filled in and it was very smooth.

- Kevvie talking about what role Jack Gosiewski fills for them this week.

Struggling to think why Webby doesn’t share the same view of Capewell and instead carried Pompey for the last couple of weeks.

 

[nswarrior]

The 2024 team has a higher ceiling when it is playing well and at full strength. TMM has grown into a top tier half, the forwards are stronger than last year and the bench and depth is improved.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

The 2024 team has a higher ceiling when it is playing well and at full strength. TMM has grown into a top tier half, the forwards are stronger than last year and the bench and depth is improved.

To have the team humming and not rely on star players shows that Webby's good coaching is levelling up too. 2024 Warriors are heating up, exciting times.

 

[TheDMC]

In his press conference after the game, and the quick interview before the game he basically said some learnings for him the past month has been:
- don’t play injured players, back the replacements
- make sure moving forward when SJ is back, TMM has more ball and can play his natural game

I really like his honesty and self awareness.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I seriously think what the team has gone through in the last month has the potential to level us up into a true contender level side. Hopefully we see them deliver on that in the back half of the season.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I seriously think what the team has gone through in the last month has the potential to level us up into a true contender level side. Hopefully we see them deliver on that in the back half of the season.

It's incredible isn't it, those injuries were the best thing that could have happened to us. We might be out of finals contention without 9-11 injured guys in a couple of weeks, against the three-time premiers and a top four side. It's just insane. Shows that sometimes there's gold hidden in the hardest of times

 

[Matua]

In his press conference after the game, and the quick interview before the game he basically said some learnings for him the past month has been:
- don’t play injured players, back the replacements
- make sure moving forward when SJ is back, TMM has more ball and can play his natural game

I really like his honesty and self awareness.

That's really good to hear, earlier this season I was worried he was believing his own press.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

That's really good to hear, earlier this season I was worried he was believing his own press.

Andrew Webster's strengths has always been how grounded he is. A people's coach. What made you get that impression?

 

[Matua]

Andrew Webster's strengths has always been how grounded he is. A people's coach. What made you get that impression?

The team was tanking until their run of injuries forced a reset.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

The team was tanking until their run of injuries forced a reset.

The competition is tight as we know. Hasn't been this close mid-season for a while. We've had some close games this year, with only 2 that blew out to 13+ I don't subscribe that our season was tanking. Injuries as you mentioned has made things a little challenging for our young head coach deal with. What we are seeing besides a turnaround in our clubs form is a coach that is really learning his craft. His press conferences are always clear and he admits things if he got it wrong. This is why I was a bit miffed on your comment that you were worried Webster was believing his own press etc. In a way he has the right to gloat a bit on what he has done for the club so far, but he hasn't and this is why a lot of fans love him.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

The competition is tight as we know. Hasn't been this close mid-season for a while. We've had some close games this year, with only 2 that blew out to 13+ I don't subscribe that our season was tanking. Injuries as you mentioned has made things a little challenging for our young head coach deal with. What we are seeing besides a turnaround in our clubs form is a coach that is really learning his craft. His press conferences are always clear and he admits things if he got it wrong. This is why I was a bit miffed on your comment that you were worried Webster was believing his own press etc. In a way he has the right to gloat a bit on what he has done for the club so far, but he hasn't and this is why a lot of fans love him.

I don't think Matua is too far wrong to say the season was tanking. If you look back on here, a lot of us - myself included - thought we'd lose both games into the bye and that was us. It probably would have been.

I feel like Matua might have a point too that Webster was stuck doing the same things as last year, expecting that would yield the same results. I don't believe for a second he was believing his own press, he's too humble for that, but he probably did think the good times would roll on.

But you're right, he is learning his craft and his ability to turn this around in the last 4 weeks has been remarkable. It's still early days but again he showed the coach he is - brilliant with people, knowledgeable, willing to learn etc. There's been some highs in our club's history but gee the last month has been up there in enjoyment, and he is owed a lot for that

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Those stats kinda say what I've been saying, which is that Webster is process-oriented to the point where he forgets about winning (scoring points, stopping points being scored).

Perhaps I need to rephrase that - he is "process oriented" when it comes to yardage sets and trying to dominate territory and possession. He is also obviously fairly process oriented when it comes to our limited array of attacking set plays. However, our processes around defending inside our 20 and attacking generally (aside from just hit-ups) suck.

The article also makes the interesting observation that completion rates are basically a useless meaningless stat which are more a measure of how conservatively you're playing than anything else.

These stats are why it worries me that Webster always focuses on "errors" and "making it hard for ourselves" post-match. The stats say we aren't making it hard for ourselves at all, in fact we're dominating the flow of the game and losing because we can't defend our line and we're throwing nothing at the opposition on attack. If he can't recognise that then that's a problem.

To elaborate on this

Webster doesn’t know how to score points

Webster doesn’t know how to stop points

Webster is a useless ginger merkin, SJ should never have been resigned beyond this year, and the whole squad is a disgraceful shambles

 

[Rich102]

For me that was the worst Warriors capitulation ever.
After the second half last week I thought Webster would have stressed defence and the team would have been up for it.
Thrashed by the team coming last on the ladder. it's too familiar to be funny.
Coach of the year? That was last year.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

That shit was traumatising. Thank god for the other code at least

 

[Beavers Headgear]

That shit was traumatising. Thank god for the other code at least

Correct, no matter how bad it seems, you watch a game of rugby and realise that things could be worse

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Not exactly what I had in mind Beav but I’ll go with it

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Not exactly what I had in mind Beav but I’ll go with it

I used to love it, especially the Sunday arvo NPC in the late 90s, the Ranfurly Shield meant something. Been in so many packed houses and even camped out overnight for final tickets a couple of times. These days I can’t stomach watching it, got some free tickets to a game a month or so back and was relieved when the young fella wanted to go home just after halftime. Was pretty poor as well that kids were lining the tunnel where the players walk out with their hands out for a simple high 5, and not 1 player from either team even acknowledged they were there

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Was pretty poor as well that kids were lining the tunnel where the players walk out with their hands out for a simple high 5, and not 1 player from either team even acknowledged they were there

Yeah that's a big no for me. I wouldn't go back if my wee one got caught up in that disappointment.

 

[Big Marn]