Webby to Warriors: ‘No one remembers winning a trial’
Don’t get ahead of yourselves, we have a lot more work. We have to be winning round one, not trials.
Coach Andrew Webster
When the Warriors walked off the field on Thursday night after their first pre-season trial, coach Andrew Webster had a simple message.
He was mostly satisfied with what he had seen in the 48-12 victory over the West Tigers at Mt Smart — but knows there is a lot more toil ahead.
Against a green Tigers line-up, the home side were efficient and effective for long periods, accelerating from a 14-0 halftime advantage to score seven more tries in the second half.
There was a lot to like, along with the heavy asterisk that it is only a pre-season match, with neither team anywhere near full strength.
“I [told them] ‘don’t get ahead of yourselves, we have a lot more work’,” said Webster. “No one remembers winning a trial — we have to be winning round one, not trials. But we are not worried about round one yet, we are worried about how do we go back to the grind, how do we fix what we did wrong and how do we celebrate what we did well to make sure we keep doing that?”
But as an exercise, the match ticked a lot of boxes.
The players looked hungry and focused, with some impressive goal line defence in the first half and cohesion on attack throughout.
Most importantly, the labour of the past few months was on display.
“The goal was to see the things that we practised — did we put it into place?” said Webster. “Not everything was going to be perfect, [but] in patches, we did it really well.”
“I’ve seen plenty of trials where teams just go out there and emotionally ruin it. They throw everything out the window and don’t focus on what [they] have actually done.”
In their first match together, halves Te Maire Martin and Luke Metcalf showed promise as a partnership, though Shaun Johnson will return next weekend.
They played a key role in the best attacking moments, linking for some smart moves. Metcalf also scored a sharp solo try, while Martin kicked well throughout.
“It was a good start for them, building combinations,” Webster said. “We have some real competition in the halves. They combined really well and they looked controlled. I particularly enjoyed our kicking game at times.”
Apart from a “scratchy” period early in the second half, when the Tigers rolled up field at will, Webster was content with the defence.
He said they showed pride and “looked like a team”, even if they were “out of sync” with some of their goal line organisation.
On a night when a lot of young players were on show, fullback Taine Tuaupiki was particularly impressive, with some strong carries, good positional play and tough defence, highlighted by a try-saving tackle.
Tuaupiki starred in the Queensland Cup last season for Burleigh Bears and was brought across on a train and trial deal.
“I had a tip about him and watched some footage,” said Webster.
The coach liked what he saw and that positive impression was enhanced when they talked for the first time.
“He was not only a good player, but he backed it up as a good person,” said Webster. “I heard the hunger over the phone, so he deserved his opportunity [on Thursday]. He will have to keep earning it and he will get his [NRL] debut at some stage.”
Webster confirmed Tuaupiki is close to being signed to the first grade squad, with four spots available on the 2023 roster.
Webster was also pleased with the efforts of a large contingent of reserve grade players used in the final quarter.
“To see them come up, know the calls, know the plays, know our fundamentals, that was pretty cool to see,” said Webster.
Most of the big guns will be rolled out next Sunday against Melbourne — including new recruits Marata Niukore, Mitch Barnett and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
Dylan Walker is “touch and go” — after pulling out of today’s NRL All Stars match with a hip issue.
“We wanted him to play for the Ma¯ori but it was his decision. He wanted to look after his body, he wasn’t happy with where he was at.”