Then came a 16th at the World Cup in Cali, Colombia last month.
A what?
Yes, on a windy day in the outdoor velodrome they were out of sync and recorded 45.463s to be off the pace.
Third man Dawkins could not get on to Webster's wheel to draft. The loss of split seconds proved crucial.
"We got it wrong," Dawkins said. "It was a terrible result for us, but we know we're better than that, the world knows we're better than that, and February [at the world championships] showed we're better than that.
"Wind is unpredictable and unfair on everyone. Cali is the only outside track we race on at World Cup or world championship level.
"We're going to come out fast in Cambridge. We know the track so well we will silence any critics."
No New Zealand 'team' of three or more members has won an Olympic gold in any sport since 1984.
The Dawkins-Webster-Mitchell philosophy underlines a hunger to establish a legacy and go top of the dais in Rio.
"Sarah Ulmer [in the individual pursuit] is the only New Zealander to win Olympic gold in cycling. We want to join her.
Dawkins' main focus during the three-lap race, in which individual riders take a leading role each lap, centres around the "fight or flight" concept.
"I put myself in a state of panic they [Mitchell and Webster] will ride away from me.
"It's hard keeping up with two of the fastest guys in the world. Ethan's race is almost over by the time I'm settled. Sometimes I'm not settled, and Sam's never settled.
"It's all so instantaneous that the whole team aspect is actually 'can I drop the guys behind me?' The faster they go, the faster it will make the next person go.
"In some ways we don't work together, we're working against each other so when it's time to do my lap, I'm going as fast as possible."
The trio's closest sprint rivals -- London Olympic Keirin bronze medallist Simon van Velthooven and Matt Archibald -- will be part of a four-strong sprint group competing at Cambridge under the trade team banner 'High Performance Sport New Zealand'. They will be joined by development riders Zac Williams and Jeremy Presbury.
The women's team pursuit group includes Rushlee Buchanan, Jaime Nielsen, Georgia Williams, Lauren Ellis, Holly Edmondston and Alysha Keith under new coach Brendon Cameron, Ulmer's partner.
The women's sprint team is represented by Natasha Hansen and Katie Schofield.
