NRL: Warriors boss says new coach to be announced soon as Andrew Webster emerges as front-runner

The Warriors are getting closer to finding their next coach, with chief executive Cameron George expecting an announcement to come from the club in the coming weeks.

After the departure of Nathan Brown early last month, the Warriors have had Stacey Jones in the interim role as they searched for a long-term replacement, with Penrith Panthers attack coach Andrew Webster reportedly emerging as the leading candidate for the job.

While not confirming who was the front-runner, George did not deny reports that Webster was their first choice when asked specifically about the emerging coach.

"We'll be making a decision on that in the very near future. We're close to making that decision and we look forward to that announcement," George said.

Andrew Webster was an assistant coach with the Warriors in 2015. Photo / Getty Images

Webster is familiar with the Warriors, having worked with the club previously. In 2015, he was an assistant coach with the first-grade side, after previously leading Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels under-20 squads.

He left the Warriors after two seasons, joining the Tigers in 2017 in an assistant coaching role, before being named their interim head coach after just three games of the season. He was interim head coach for two matches before Ivan Cleary took over the role fulltime. He took on the role of attacking coach with the Penrith Panthers in 2021, while also joining the Toa Samoa coaching set up for year's World Cup.

The Tigers are also currently in the market for a new coach after sacking Michael Maguire last month and are reportedly interested in Webster as well.

Webster has a season to go on his current Panthers deal but would be free to pursue a head coaching role if offered the opportunity.

If appointed, Webster would be the second familiar face recruited by the Warriors in recent times, with fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad returning to the team after four years with the Canberra Raiders.

A Warriors junior, Nicoll-Klokstad made just two appearances for the Warriors early in his career before being allowed to leave at the end of his contract in 2018. With the Raiders, he emerged as one of the stars of the game and returns to the Warriors as one of the best defensive fullbacks in the game.

The 26-year-old returns as a replacement for young gun Reece Walsh, who will depart the club after a change in personal circumstances had prevented him from committing to a fulltime relocation to Auckland for the final year in his contract in 2023.

Walsh is expected to sign with the Brisbane Broncos – the club he joined the Warriors from – at season's end on a lucrative three-year deal.