In terms of achievement, Webster is only behind Cleary and Anderson. Cleary got consistent results – four playoff runs in six seasons, including the 2011 grand final – and transformed the club’s pathways. Anderson was a pioneer, with the golden three-season run which included the first grand final (2002) and going close the following year, pipped by eventual premiers Penrith in the preliminary final.
Webster, who has his 96th match in charge this Friday against Penrith, has completely revitalised the club. Since he arrived in 2023, the Australian has built three great teams. There was his inaugural season, grounded on defensive resilience, defiance and a sprinkling of magic, as they reached fourth place. There was 2025, as youth came to the fore and Luke Metcalf sizzled in the autumn, helping the Warriors claim 12 wins from 14 games at one point. And then this season, with more substance added to the style, a formidable pack and additional attacking weapons.
But if Webster has constructed three great sides, he has also never got to see them blossom in the spring, due to cruel twists of fate. That is the best definition of luck in the NRL – having your top men still on the field in September.
In 2023, the Warriors were humming, with Shaun Johnson and Metcalf forging a promising partnership. But by the finals, Metcalf was gone – with a broken leg – and an underdone Te Maire Martin was thrown into the fray. Johnson was hobbled by a calf issue.
Come 2025, the Warriors looked even better. James Fisher-Harris felt like an upgrade on Addin Fonua-Blake, Metcalf was playing out of his skin and Mitch Barnett was in career-best form. Do you recall what happened next? Barnett, the Warriors’ most important forward, did an ACL in round 13. A month later, Metcalf, seen as a Dally M contender, had his knee collapse at Suncorp Stadium. The Warriors were never the same again and bounced out of the finals at the first hurdle.
And so to this year. Remember how the Warriors looked in March, April and May, sparking another round of ‘Our Year’ discussions. They were good, though. A bruising, multi-dimensional pack, with Tanah Boyd behind them, delivering on the promise that had seen him hyped as a Queensland teenager. And what happened next? Boyd gone for the year with an ACL injury in mid-May. A week later, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck – arguably the most important outside back with his experience, leadership and x-factor – is also taken out of the picture. Up front, Jackson Ford, who was having the season of his life, may return in September but has been sidelined since June 21.
Some will argue that injuries are part of the game. Yes – they are – but not like this. Look at Cleary. He built a superb Penrith machine that reached five consecutive grand finals (winning four) and constantly evolved. But Cleary also had his most important generals – Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Moses Leota, James Fisher-Harris, Liam Martin, Dylan Edwards – all on the field, all available when it mattered during the playoffs.
The same with Brisbane in 2025. Michael Maguire’s team had suffered injury setbacks during the season but the spine of the team, including Reece Walsh and forward leaders Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan, were there for the “big dance”.
The Warriors are still in a great position and Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita are a talented, tough pairing. But the pessimistic hunch remains that Boyd’s general kicking game and organisation with be sorely missed in September, along with Tuivasa-Sheck’s big match capability and desire.
There have been other Warriors coaches to suffer drastic misfortune. Andrew McFadden’s 2015 team was never the same after Johnson broke his ankle in late July, while his 2016 group never got going once Tuivasa-Sheck busted his knee in April. Brian McClennan had a bad run in 2012 while Mark Graham was without Stacey Jones – then one of the best in the world – for half of the 2000 season.
But none of those squads had the potential or promise of Webster’s teams, even given the scratchings. Webster has been unlucky but has refused to bemoan the fact.
“That’s what you have to do as a coach – move on quickly,” says former Kiwis, Warriors and Leeds coach McClennan.
McClennan endured some hits with the Kiwis in particular, losing both Benji Marshall and Sonny Bill Williams ahead of the 2005 Tri Nations series, as one example.
“It’s always tough but you have no choice,” McClennan adds. “Within the walls of a league club, when someone gets injured, honestly, you move on really quickly, much more than what the average person would think. You just go, ‘Okay, well they’re not here, there’s no use even thinking about it.’ You just crack on and do what’s best.
“But there’s only so many injuries that you can have and there are some that would cut any teams’ finals hopes. If Nathan Cleary got injured for Penrith, their chances of winning the grand final would diminish significantly. They are hot favourites, looking really good but that would change if he was hurt.”
Former Kiwis and Warriors coach Frank Endacott has a similar view.
“It’s devastating when you lose key players because you know it’s going to hurt you,” Endacott says. “Every coach expects injuries – we used to bank on 15% at any given time – but when it happens to key players it hurts you a hell of a lot more. Tanah was steering the team really well – and his goalkicking – while Roger was playing some of his best footy for a long time.”
There will be consequences – “Injuries do spoil the quest, no doubt about that” – but Endacott has been heartened by their form since that double blow.
“Look what they’ve done,” Endacott says. “They have great depth and have proven it. It would have been hard for Webster but he is doing a fantastic job. He is getting the best out of the players he has got and that is the key.”
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.
