Foundations right for gutsy Warriors, detail comes next

Scott Bailey | March 11, 2023

Andrew Webster insists he has the right foundation to turnaround the fortunes of his NRL club after their gutsy but unpolished 20-12 loss to the Sydney Roosters.

After outlasting Newcastle in Webster’s first game in charge, the Warriors managed to hang in against the Roosters on Saturday despite having far less ball and limited opportunities.

Down 18-6 and with three men out injured for the game, the Warriors were able to get themselves back in the match at 18-12 after doing the bulk of defensive work in their own half.

But they failed to fire the right shot when it mattered, with three crucial errors costing the visitors any chance of a late comeback at Allianz Stadium.

“There are lots of things we want to be,” Webster said.

“We want to be resilient and have each other’s back. Keep turning up for each other.

“But we want to get the details right though. In the NRL just being tough and working hard for each other is not going to be enough.

“We want to get the details.

“But it’s a great place to start. It’s a great fit. If you’re going to want any one of those things you’ll want resilience and toughness. So we’ll start with that.”

The Warriors have several injury concerns, with Charnze Nicoll-Klockstad and Jackson Ford both concussed and Josh Curran suffering a hip-pointer injury.

Webster, however, said the Warriors should have gone on to win.

Down 18-12, their first chance came when Wayde Egan burst through the mid-field before Bayley Sironen failed to finish the job when he loomed up in support.

From the next play, Dylan Walker grubber-kicked the ball dead.

Moments later, and with the Warriors on the attack, Edward Kosi played the ball but no teammate was at dummy-half.

And in the final nail in the coffin, Walker dropped the ball in attack before a Roosters penalty goal sealed the match.

“When you get that much ball and opportunities at the end of the game, you want to be swinging punches with good execution,” Webster said.

“There was a long time, we didn’t have to score off that next play. We could’ve built some more pressure.

“Part of me is saying I get it, the fatigue factor is huge.

“But if we were clinical we could have put them under pressure and drained them, and then won the game.”