NRL coaching clipboard session: Shaun Johnson’s halves partner battle, RTS position confirmed

Backing up a fairytale season, the battle for the No.6 jumper, and the return of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck - Warriors coach Andrew Webster chats to David Riccio about the upcoming 2024 season.

Andrew Webster talks RTS and who will partner Johnson in the halves.

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.

Andrew Webster talks RTS and who will partner Johnson in the halves.

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.

Warriors coach Andrew Webster (R). Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

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.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (R) reports for pre-season training. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

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 Lagan, who is a big edge back-rower.