Webster says the Rabbitohs demonstrated how sticking to a game plan dictated by the conditions - strong hit-ups through the middle and deep kicks to turn the Warriors around - allowed them to control field position and ultimately win the game.
While the Rabbitohs showed their class - half Cody Walker in particular stood out with his kicking and game management - Webster says his side gave the Sydneysiders too many opportunities through their own mistakes.
“Too many fundamental errors that just cost us, way too many.”
The Warriors had a number of repeat sets in the first 20 minutes - scoring once and edging out to a 6-0 lead - but it was the failure to capitalise and build on that pressure that was their downfall.
Webster says it’s frustrating to have good periods and not come away with more points, but had other areas of their game been better, he may have been giving a much different interview.
“When you’re on someone’s try line you want to be able to execute and score points - but at the end of the day we were 6-0 up. If we’d defended well today and got the rest our game right we would have been fine.”
Having been camped down in the Rabbitohs’ half for much of the first 20 minutes with little success, the Warriors tried to force things, letting the opposition off with errors.
Webster says he isn’t concerned about that period and that the team will learn from it.
“If we built pressure and did that for the rest of the game, no one would even be talking about the first 20 minutes right now, we just went completely away from our plan.”
Captain Tohu Harris alluded to this, saying the Rabbitohs took full advantage of the Warriors’ missed opportunities.
“We went away from the things we were doing well in the first half - soon as we went away from building that kind of pressure it just looked too easy for them, we didn’t threaten them enough.”
Wet weather footy is about, to use a coaching cliché - doing the basics right - and Webster says his side failed to play the kind of rugby league the conditions allowed for.
“We tried to go around them instead of play through them - you can’t do that in these conditions. We tried to pull the trigger too much. We wanted to use the football - but use it and be direct, not going sideways.”
Games like these can make a season - and it is how the Warriors respond that will show whether they are deserving of the plaudits they’ve received this year.
“You learn lessons about wet weather footy and we’re going to have to keep learning them but I think we’ll get a lot out of tonight,” says Webster.
As is often the case in the NRL, next week won’t be any easier as they head to CommBank Stadium to take on the Eels fresh off a bye.
The Warriors will need to review the tape and put Friday night in the rear-view mirror, chalking it up as a learning experience.
