Webster savours 'different connection' as Warriors ride the wave

Back in 2023 in his first year at the helm, Andrew Webster guided the Warriors to a seven-game winning streak that carried them into the finals on a tidal wave of momentum.

The catchcry ‘Up The Wahs’ followed Webster in his men from Sydney to Auckland to the Gold Coast as they went unbeaten from Round 19 to 26 to finish the regular season in fourth spot.

After falling back to earth in 2024 with a 13th place finish, the Warriors are on the charge again this season, riding a five-game winning streak heading into a Round 12 clash with the Raiders.

The Sunday afternoon showdown at Go Media Stadium offers a shot at redemption for a defeat in the season-opener in Las Vegas, one of only two defeats for Webster’s men in the opening 11 rounds.

Since a humbling Round 6 loss to the Storm in Melbourne, the Warriors have taken care of business against the Broncos, Knights, Cowboys, Dragons and Dolphins to climb from sixth to second on the ladder.

As he savours a second substantial winning streak in his third season at the helm, Webster admits the 2025 run is more enjoyable because “the players are leading it so well”.

“There’s a real different connection about the group this time,” he told media on Wednesday.

“I’m so happy with the way they are chasing training, we are enjoying every day at work

“We are really grounded though, just chasing the next one.”

If the Warriors are to make it six straight they will have to do it without forward leaders James Fisher-Harris (suspension) and Mitch Barnett (NSW Origin) but they do welcome back Jackson Ford (concussion) and Bunty Afoa (knee).

Blockbusting centre Ali Leiataua has been named in the extended squad as he nears a return after three games out with an ankle injury.

“Every team goes through personnel issues through a season,” Webster said.

“You’ll have periods where you lose a lot of players, this week we have ‘Fish’ out and we have ‘Barney’ out, but it’s just a new challenge and something exciting.

“It’s the same as the travel [to Brisbane and Christchurch], that was two of our [home] games we took away.

“We looked at it as an opportunity to enjoy our travel and get along.

“If you’re not connected and enjoying each other’s company then you won’t enjoy the travel and therefore you’re not going to turn up and play footy for each other and you’re going to lose.”

Having spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Panthers as an assistant coach, Webster knows a thing or two about what it takes to stay up for prolonged periods during a campaign.

The Panthers won eight on the trot to kick start their 2022 campaign before losing to the Eels in Round 9 and then piling on another nine straight wins.

Come 2023 and they powered into the finals on the back of an eight-game winning streak between Round 17 and Round 25 en route to a second successive premiership.

With all that success on his CV as Ivan Cleary’s assistant during two stunning seasons at Penrith, Webster was asked how the four-time premiers compared to his high-flying Warriors outfit.

 In typically forthright fashion, Webster declared they were “miles apart”, saying is team still had a lot to work on if they wanted to return to the September action.

“The Panthers won 17 in a row the year before they even won a grand final,” he said.

“We’ve won five in a row, we’re 10 games in.

“Is there potential to be that? We don’t know. We have faith in each other and we have complete faith in the boys to create their own destiny but we’re a long way off comparing us to Penrith.

"We're hungry for improvement so we'll just find that in every part of our game."