F.O Andrew Webster

[Big Marn]

I am struggling to think of a single player who is better this year than last.

Barnett was better this year than last year, but thats about it. Maybe TMM?

 

[Blair]

Barnett was better this year than last year, but thats about it. Maybe TMM?

Chanel was better this year than last year.

 

[nswarrior]

No way am I calling for Webby’s head, but he has to do better next year.

Although we lose AFB, I think JFH is an equivalent replacement. Then we have Sifakula, Helasima and Laban who are ready to play 1st grade. Erin Clarke is an upgrade on Tevaga so our forward pack is better although still missing a starting 2nd rower.

We need more pace in the backline and a game manager in the halves.

 

[Matiunz]

Chanel was better this year than last year.

I’m not so sure

 

[Beavers Headgear]

No way am I calling for Webby’s head, but he has to do better next year.

Although we lose AFB, I think JFH is an equivalent replacement. Then we have Sifakula, Helasima and Laban who are ready to play 1st grade. Erin Clarke is an upgrade on Tevaga so our forward pack is better although still missing a starting 2nd rower.

We need more pace in the backline and a game manager in the halves.

I think they are different players in the way they go about their games, and the style probably sees the Warriors coming out slightly worse off. No slight on JFH, he is elite, but he is a straight up and down run it hard and straight man, and one of the best in the business at that. AFB offers a bit of X factor with his late footwork and offload making him hard to handle, especially with the offload threat. In a team seriously lacking game breakers AFBs ability on that area will hurt on the field. Off the field however the Warriors come up 1000x better off with the replacement

 

[Penrose Warrior]

To me, one of the disappointing factors is around the amount of games and progress the younger guys made. When you have such a sub-par season, if you can content yourself with bringing some young, promising guys through, then you can make some sense of it. Not sure that's the case this year.

Maiu'u played one game, and 13 minutes. Sifakula played 3 - 65mins total. Halasima played 4, looked really great in one of them, but then was never seen again. Laban played 7 mid-season but wasn't sighted again past the Titans thumping (was it his fault?).

I don't think we start 2025 with any significant clue about whether those guys can play a significant role, nor thinking any of them are near NRL-hardened. We'll very likely need them to be, if Tohu is cooked, Walker is thinking about going, and if injuries hit.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

The Maiu’u one is a strange one, I know he was suspended in a trial, but after that was he injury ravaged or just not considered ? Was keen to have a look at him because Willie Mason was raving about him after watching him last season

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

I think they are different players in the way they go about their games, and the style probably sees the Warriors coming out slightly worse off. No slight on JFH, he is elite, but he is a straight up and down run it hard and straight man, and one of the best in the business at that. AFB offers a bit of X factor with his late footwork and offload making him hard to handle, especially with the offload threat. In a team seriously lacking game breakers AFBs ability on that area will hurt on the field. Off the field however the Warriors come up 1000x better off with the replacement

100% agree. JFH is a very good player, elite even, but he's 15kg lighter than AFB without the footwork. He will work the house down, but we've been relying on a prop as one of our key try scoring threats (which is an indictment in itself) and that's gone now.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

The Maiu’u one is a strange one, I know he was suspended in a trial, but after that was he injury ravaged or just not considered ? Was keen to have a look at him because Willie Mason was raving about him after watching him last season

This too - I thought he and Leiataua could've got more minutes last year, but were set for big minutes this year at least....not the case (Leiataua seems chronically injury prone tbf).

 

[Meth]

With Webster playing AFB and Barnett for big minutes, it does limit the opportunities for players like Ale, Afoa and Maiu'u. Add Ford sucking minutes up into the equation. Capewell is an 80 minute player. Niukore and Walker 60.

 

[Blair]

...AFB offers a bit of X factor with his late footwork and offload making him hard to handle, especially with the offload threat...

As opposed to his more predictable early footwork and offload threat when it comes to breaking his contract.

'Hard to handle' for sure.

 

[sup42]

James Fisher Harris is a fast prop vs AFB who is an out and out line bender.

The Warriors pack and club as a whole are better off with JFH.

Starting with the off field situation the Warriors have always struggled to have a culture that breeds success, AFB was poison for us this year.

I do not give a stuff what he was doing on field, as soon as he polluted the off field this group was doomed.

2023 was built on attitude. We were one of the best defensive sides in the NRL with the same core of players who magically turned to rubbish this season, the difference was the club culture and the cause of that decline was Addin Fonua Blake.

Bugger off to the Sharks and don't let the door hit you on the way out ya flogg.

A team that is reliant on one prima donna is not a team.

Our forward pack is actually at its best when it is working as a unit and this is where JFH comes in, he will drive the unity in the pack and we will go from needing one line bending complaining passive aggressive ex Manly flogg to a fiery hearty Ngapuhi front man.

Hyperbole aside JFH is coming at just the right time, with all the block busting fast NSW cup forwards and with Barnett being one of the quickest in the NRL we need a human metronome to set a higher pace than AFB was capable of, the bald bros high tempo type game, and if Webster rolls on his bench with young legs correctly we will use collective forward power and speed over the formulaic AFB line bender model.

Dylan Walker and Tohu Harris's flat passing could be lethal with fast forwards running off them both sides of the ruck.

If we get this right, we will have phases where JFH gets a fast ptb and we have Leka and Niukore as options both sides of the ruck with Barnett as the middle option.

Essentially what I want from Webster this off season is a camp that spends all its time on defence and off the ball work. Get the NSW cup forwards improving their tackling so they are NRL ready, get them running decoys, all fitness work and unleash them in all directions around the play the ball so that people like Leka Halasima actually get balls in holes where AFB had it easy.