NRL 2022: New Zealand Warriors sign Penrith Panthers assistant Andrew Webster as new head coach
Andrew Webster was the most unlikely of the Panthers assistant coaches to land a top job but he is the right fit for the Warriors, writes Michael Carayannis and Brent Read.
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So just who is the latest NRL coach? Andrew Webster has lurked in the shadows for almost two decades and was the most unlikely of the Panthers assistant coaches to land a top job but Michael Carayannis and Brent Read explain why he is the right fit for the Warriors.
It is perhaps fitting for the man Penrith dub as ‘the silent partner’ to their success that Andrew Webster’s coaching career began almost two decades ago in front of a handful of people halfway around the world.
Webster will lay claim to becoming the first Connecticut Wildcats coach to become an NRL mentor after formally being announced as the Warriors coach for the next three season. After toiling in the lower grades for Balmain and Parramatta, Webster gave up on his NRL dream to captain/coach the Wildcats in America.
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“He was a tough player,” ex-St George first-grader and US rugby league pioneer David Niu said. “He had great pretty nous and had the side playing good footy. He would’ve played in front of a couple of hundred people and maybe a thousand in the grand final.”
They lost the premiership decider before Webster moved to the Super League and worked at Hull KR – where his brother James had links as a player and then coach. He kept a close link with the US as assistant coach the Tomahawks.
He worked on the club’s Academy before returning to Australia and again split his time between the Tigers and Eels in the lower grades including taking out the SG Ball national title with Balmain.
Perhaps his most pivotal move though was the two years he spent as Andrew McFadden’s assistant coach at the Warriors in 2015-16.
He struck up a close friendship with Warriors boss Cameron George which help lead to Webster becoming Nathan Brown’s replacement from next season.
George described Webster as “an exciting talent coming through the ranks.”
“He isn’t come here to rebuild, he is coming here to build,” George said. “He is excited and wants to start winning from day one. He loved his time in New Zealand.”
While Webster’s first move to New Zealand was influential it was Jason Taylor’s sacking as Tigers coach which proved to be any pivotal moment in his coaching career.
He had just returned to the Tigers as Taylor’s assistant when Taylor was axed as coach after just three rounds in 2017. Webster held the head coaching job for just two matches before Ivan Cleary was appointed.
Cleary attracted Webster to Penrith last season as a replacement for Trent Barrett to oversee the club’s attack. It was Cleary too who gave Webster a glowing endorsement to George before his appointment.
Webster is also part of the Samoan coaching staff.
It was another Panthers assistant who was the short-priced favourite to become the game’s next first grade coach. While Ciraldo was courted publicly and privately by clubs it is Webster who has filled the first vacant position.
Panthers chief executive Matt Cameron described Webster as the quiet achiever.
“He has a great relationship with the players, understands the game very, very well,” Cameron said. “He has probably been the silent partner in this little dance at the moment. Everyone has been about Ciraldo. I think everyone forgets he was the attacking coach in the team that won the grand final last year.”
Webster had another 12 months left on his Panthers deal but was free to leave to take up a head coaching position. He will remain with the club for the rest of the season. Warriors interim coach Stacey Jones indicated he did not want the top job full-time but is expected to remain as part of the Warriors coaching staff.
Blues hooker Api Koroisau loves Webster’s attacking mind.
“He is actually very methodical,” Koroisau said. “He loves to go through his sets and plays with a lot of detail. He is a great dude, really good with the blokes, a great people person. I think it is a great job for him. He is one of those guys that rocks up every day with a big smile on his face, real chatty and loves those social gatherings.”
Nathan Cleary said Webster had the “right temperament” for the job.
COACHING MERRY-GO-ROUND: WARRIORS NAB BROWN REPLACEMENT
Penrith assistant coach Andrew Webster will be announced as the next coach of the Warriors.
In the first major puzzle piece in the coaching merry-go-round to be completed, it is understood Webster has agreed to a three year deal which will see him replace Nathan Brown at the end of the season. Webster was courted for the role after the club’s No.1 target Kristian Woolf knocked back the Warriors.
He has a year left on his Panthers deal but has a clause that allows him to leave only to pursue a head coaching job.
Webster has nearly two decades worth of experience as a coach and is largely credited for ensuring Penrith have the best attack in the NRL.
He has close ties to the Warriors having worked as Andrew McFadden’s assistant coach in 2015. He spent two years at the Warriors before returning to the Tigers as Taylor’s assistant.
The Warriors had targeted an emerging coach and Webster fits the bill. He is also the Samoan assistant coach.
Warriors boss Cameron George said on Wednesday that the club was close to making an announcement.
“We’ll be making a decision on that in the very near future. We’re close to making that decision and we look forward to that announcement,” George said.
Warriors legend Stacey Jones has been leading the club on an interim basis since Brown parted ways last month.
The Tigers and Bulldogs are yet to make a decision on their long-term mentor. Webster played for Five Dock RSL as a junior before joining the Balmain Tigers in 1998, where he spent four seasons for their SG Ball and Jersey Flegg teams. After a stint coaching in England, he returned to Australia as head coach of the Balmain Tigers SG Ball team and an assistant to the under 20s,
Under his charge, Balmain won the SG Ball Cup for the first time in 30 years and went on to win the under-18 national title against the Townsville Stingers.
Webster left for Parramatta but returned to the Tigers in 2014 as head coach of their under 20s, winning 16 games and reaching the finals.
PENRITH ASSISTANT WARRIORS’ TOP COACHING TARGET
Penrith’s coaching staff is under renewed attack after it emerged assistant Andrew Webster is the leading candidate to land the Warriors job while also on the radar of the Wests Tigers — two clubs where he has previously worked.
Webster, coached the Tigers to two matches in 2017 after Jason Taylor was sacked and before Ivan Cleary arrived at the club, has been the mastermind behind the Panthers’ exhilarating attack and it is understood he has caught the eye of Warriors powerbrokers after their failed bid to sign St Helens coach Kristian Woolf.
Webster is strongly being considered as a potential Warriors option and has close ties to the club having worked as Andrew McFadden’s assistant coach in 2015. He spent two years at the Warriors before returning to the Tigers as Taylor’s assistant.
The Warriors have decided they want an emerging coach and look set to move on Webster. They may face stiff competition from the Tigers though.
It is understood Webster is also on a list of coaches being in the mix by Tigers, where he would potentially work alongside head of football Tim Sheens.
Support is growing for Sheens to take a more hands-on role in coaching the side next season, potentially as a mentor and sounding board to a younger coach who would take over down the track.
It is the same model the Dolphins are using as their design a succession plan for when Wayne Bennett stands down in two years.
Webster has strong ties to the Tigers as a former lower grade player and a long-term member of the coaching staff having progressed through the junior ranks into the top job,
He also has a longstanding relationship to Sheens — his brother James was Sheens’ assistant at Hull KR.
While much of the attention has focused on Ciraldo it seems Webster may be more likely to take on a top job elsewhere.
The Tigers were forced to re-evaluate their coaching plans when Ciraldo opted to reject their overtures, turning his back on the security of a five-year deal.
He is expected to remain at Penrith, although Canterbury are also interested in his services and rumours have emerged in recent days of Parramatta keeping a watch on his situation.
It is understood Webster has a season to go on his Panthers deal but will be free to pursue a head coaching position elsewhere.
Webster played for Five Dock RSL as a junior before joining the Balmain Tigers in 1998, where he spent four seasons for their SG Ball and Jersey Flegg teams.
After a stint coaching in England, he returned to Australia as head coach of the Balmain Tigers SG Ball team and an assistant to the under 20s,
Under his charge, Balmain won the SG Ball Cup for the first time in 30 years and went on to win the under-18 national title against the Townsville Stingers.
Webster left for Parramatta but returned to the Tigers in 2014 as head coach of their under 20s, winning 16 games and reaching the finals.
The Warriors went hard after Woolf, with owner Mark Robinson personally meeting the St Helens coach during a recent trip to England.
However, he was unable to convince Woolf to replace Nathan Brown. Woolf instead appears likely to accept a job as Bennett’s assistant with a view to replacing the seven-time premiership winner in a couple of years.
The Warriors want Webster to step into the void but he could have a decision to make if the Tigers crystallise their interest in him. Tigers legend Benji Marshall backed Sheens to play a prominent role in coaching the side and Webster has emerged as a serious candidate to work alongside the man who led the club to the 2015 premiership.
Webster, John Morris and interim Brett Kimmorley are among those being discussed by the Tigers.
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Originally published as NRL 2022: New Zealand Warriors sign Penrith Panthers assistant Andrew Webster as new head coach
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