Andrew Webster passes Fonua-Blake test with flying colours

By Alex Powell

If Addin Fonua-Blake being dropped for breaching club standards was a test the Warriors didn’t need, coach Andrew Webster has passed it with flying colours.

Following the Magic Round victory over the Penrith Panthers, when the Warriors stunned the three-time reigning premiers in Brisbane, Fonua-Blake was punished for leaving the team environment early as they celebrated arguably one of the best wins in the club’s history.

Despite an ever increasing casualty ward for last weekend’s clash against the Dolphins, Webster made the huge call to drop Fonua-Blake, leaving one of the NRL’s best sidelined for a home clash against a top-four side.

But even as the toll of absentees hit 11 players by kickoff at Go Media Mt Smart Stadium, the Warriors backed up the win over the Panthers with another equally impressive backs to the wall display.

With the benefit of hindsight, Webster’s decision appears a masterstroke. Had Fonua-Blake played against the Dolphins, his authority as head coach would have taken a real hit among the rest of the playing squad.

Instead, his side head into their first bye round of the season on a high and with the confidence they can topple any opponent.

Even Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett, arguably the greatest coach to ever grace the NRL, hailed Webster’s move, with the courage to drop one of his most important players.

For his role in what transpired, Fonua-Blake reportedly spent most of Sunday’s win in the gym, before joining his unavailable teammates in the stands – as a sign of solidarity for those on the field.

Since starting the Warriors job in 2023, Webster has faced one challenge after another in his first taste of being a head coach.

Times when he’s had a full contingent of players to pick from have been few and far between, but Webster still guided the Warriors to a top four finish last year, and came within one game of a Grand Final.

That came in the wake of 2022, where the Warriors played out one of the worst seasons in the club’s history, as the last of three Covid-impacted years in Australia.

In particular, Webster’s biggest asset appears to be his man management.

Of the players still at the club from when he first took the job, all are playing at a higher level come the present day.

To a man, every member of the Warriors squad has raved over Webster being at the club.

That appears to have also translated into recruitment, with the pair of Kurt Capewell and James Fisher-Harris both wanting to move from Brisbane and Penrith respectively to reunite with their former coach.

But while Fonua-Blake’s breach appears to have boiled down to individual frustration rather than outright rebellion, it was still an important stake in the ground for Webster as coach.

Even as he prepares to depart the club at the end of 2024, Fonua-Blake is still among the best players on the Warriors’ books – and netting seven figures per season, he’s also the highest paid.

As seen at other NRL clubs, a superstar breaching club standards can go unpunished, regardless of the effect it might have on the dressing room.

But Webster did things his way and acted swiftly to axe Fonua-Blake without a second thought.

What’s more, given his own relationship with the reigning Dally M prop of the year, Fonua-Blake has completely accepted his coach’s actions and will be back in contention to face the North Queensland Cowboys next month.

“Addin was amazing with it,” said Webster. “He took it on board and agreed, and we moved on.

“We delivered the accountability. We probably knew about it earlier in the week, but we didn’t want everyone to be reading on Tuesday afternoon that Addin wasn’t going to be playing.”

Despite Fonua-Blake’s clear end point as a Warrior, on-field, his standards have not slipped.

Already this season, he’s averaging 177 run metres per game, making close to 95 per cent of his tackles and has scored five tries.

Those numbers are comparable with his 2023 efforts, where he was named the game’s premier front-rower.

And while having to rebuild his reputation and trust among his teammates, axing Fonua-Blake against the Dolphins wasn’t done to motivate his prop to finish his time in Auckland on a high.

“I’m not doing it to light a firecracker underneath him or anything like that,” Webster added. “It’s not the behaviour that we want.

“At the end of the day, it was what it was. I need to make sure I keep him accountable.

“It’s pretty simple at the moment. I hope it has a great reaction, his reaction so far has been good.

“I didn’t do it in any other way, except for our standards weren’t met and we can’t tolerate it.”

With NRL contracts appearing to be worth as much as the paper they’re written on, Fonua-Blake’s situation did have the potential to backfire on the Warriors.

As seen with former Warriors signings, Fonua-Blake could have requested an early release and joined the Sharks early.

With Cronulla currently top of the table, it would have been a real temptation for Fonua-Blake, even if it left the Sharks walking dangerously close to breaching the NRL salary cap.

For now, though, Fonua-Blake will remain where he is.

“He and his agent have not at any point given that indication,” Webster asserted. “Adds has been clear that he needs to be better.

“His agent has never once said he wants to leave. I take him at his word on that.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission