What a difference a coach makes: Andrew Webster’s impact on Warriors clear in upset NRL victory over Cowboys

Warriors coach Andrew Webster and captain Tohu Harris. Photo / Getty

Take a bow, Andrew Webster.

Across just three rounds of the NRL season – and a couple of pre-season trials – the new coach has already put a strong imprint on the club.

It seemed like there was so much to fix after the chaos of last season – on and off the field – but that campaign is starting to feel like a distant memory.

The Warriors are far from the finished product, but there has already been a considerable leap from 2022.

Most importantly, there is a clear direction on where this team is going.

That was shown in Saturday’s 26-12 victory in Townsville, just their third win in tropical North Queensland since 2002.

It was the most complete performance in years, maybe dating back to 2018.

There was again a strong defensive foundation while the forwards bullied a highly rated Cowboys pack, which possessed four test players including Jason Taumalolo.

Off the back of an impressive completion rate (80 per cent), the Warriors dominated yardage (almost 300 more running metres) while also creating inroads with offloads and post contact work.

“We wanted to see what our forward pack could do if we had more than 50 per cent of the ball,” said Webster. “We haven’t had that in stages in the start of the season and we just wanted to see how dominant they could be. We got to see that.”

Aside from the raw power, there was also finesse, with incisive passing at the line between the forwards.

“We didn’t have many combos or short passes last week,” said captain Tohu Harris. “We knew coming out here with the quality side that they’ve got we had to string a few passes together.”

The strategy worked, though it was dependent on winning the arm wrestle first. Once they did, the likes of Dylan Walker, Jazz Tevaga, Addin Fonua-Blake and Harris could exhibit their ball skills.

That was another welcome feature of the win, as the team choose their moments well, limiting errors but not afraid to try their hand.

Shaun Johnson and Te Maire Martin showed their potential as a halves combination while the back five were stout on defence and strong in their attack.

Webster also praised the impact of hooker Wayde Egan, though admitted there is concern after two HIA’s on Saturday, following other incidents in the first two rounds.

“He’s in the wars at the moment,” said Webster.

Rookie fullback Taine Tuaupiki was impressive on debut. He defused plenty of bombs, linked play well, run sharply and made some crucial tackles.

Webster was also pleased with his organisation of the defensive line and “how reliable he was”.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad remains the first-choice fullback option – and will return for the Bulldogs match at Mt Smart on Sunday if fit – but Webster said that Tuaupiki was destined to play NRL “for a long time”.

Forward Mitch Barnett was able to fly home with the team yesterday, after being cleared of a major neck injury.

Barnett left the field in discomfort clutching his neck and shoulder area, after a suspected crusher tackle in the 54th minute.

The 28-year-old was taken to hospital as a precaution after the match but was cleared of any fracture.

Barnett will undergo further assessment this week but Webster said he was up and about walking freely on Sunday morning.

The former Knight was one of many impressive performers, with 140 metres from 15 runs plus 16 tackles in his abbreviated stint.