Warriors coach explains selections, maintains spots up for grabs

By Will Toogood

“Nothing’s fixed, nothing’s fixed. It doesn’t matter.”

Those are the words of Warriors coach Andrew Webster, who maintains his view that no position has been locked down for the season ahead of his side’s opener against the Sharks on Friday.

After naming his first line-up for the 2024 season on Tuesday, the selection of Luke Metcalf at five-eighth piqued the curiosity of fans as it seems the former Shark has fended off competition from Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita, both of whom will be playing NSW Cup this weekend, to pair with Shaun Johnson.

Webster said it was a combination of pre-season form and performance in training that saw Metcalf get the nod in the No 6 jersey for round one.

“He put a lot of sessions together, this time last year he didn’t get to do that. He’s put on six or seven kilos, he looks like he’s controlled, knows how to inject himself. He can play on the ball if we have to ... I feel like he’s going to be a threat on that left side of the field.”

He also alluded to an improvement on the defensive side, something Webster has said is mandatory for any player looking to feature for the Warriors under his tenure – mentioning that he was proud of the work Metcalf has put in.

“It’s a hard decision. Te Maire and Chanel [are] great footballers but, you know, [I] also want to celebrate what Luke’s achieved. It’s a long season but just really proud of what he’s done.”

One who may feel the early pressure for their position is centre Adam Pompey, who played all but 10 minutes of the 2023 season for the Warriors but will begin 2024 on the interchange bench as Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Rocco Berry claim the No 3 and 4 jumpers.

Webster said he was impressed by the way individuals who didn’t pick up starts or first-grade selections had acknowledged the team’s needs and put them ahead of their own.

“I think the best thing that I’ve noticed is that it’s about the whole team, it’s not about the individual. They’ve all taken it really well, they want to get better.”

The halves and centre options are likely to draw the most attention each Tuesday when the team list is announced and Webster repeated his assertion that it is on the players to perform in training and matches to fight for their spots.

“Nothing’s fixed, nothing’s fixed. It doesn’t matter.

“The best players all make sure their spot is fixed, because they won’t give anyone else an opportunity, not a young kid – no one. They’re like, ‘I’ll be in this team every week, I know I’ll be in this team every week because I prepare the same, that’s why I’m a good player,’ that’s why some of them are great players.”

Specialist hooker Freddie Lussick’s nod in the 14 jersey was one that may have surprised a few after Dylan Walker had been used there as a utility to great effect in 2023. Webster said for round one it made sense to have a specialist hooker on the bench.

“It’s round one. You’ve got to make sure you’ve got good 9 cover there,” Webster said. “We’ve got to be smart around that. I think it’s a bit hard to go to Wayde [Egan and say], ‘here you go mate go and play 80 straight up’.

“Freddie’s had a great pre-season, he’s tackled really well, he’s played some tough footy.”

On Tuesday the club announced second-rower Marata Niukore had sustained a minor foot fracture and would be expected to miss the first few weeks of the season. Webster said he was gutted for Niukore who was an integral part of the Warriors push to a prelim final in 2023.

“He’s been in the middle and on the edge, [we were] pretty excited to see how that worked. I think we saw it worked really well against Redcliffe. Unfortunately, he got the foot injury but it’s next man up and we’ve got to move on pretty fast.”

The Warriors host a round one match for just the third time in 15 years as they play the Sharks at Mt Smart stadium on Friday, kick-off 8pm.

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