Webster: 'Need to iron out one little thing, an easy fix'

After riding the highs of a preliminary final in his first year at the helm and the lows of a 13th-place finish in his second, Andrew Webster believes his side is better equipped than ever to deliver the Warriors' maiden premiership.

The Wahs have emerged as one of the premiership heavyweights in 2026, finishing second on the ladder with an 18-6 record and earning a home qualifying final against the Dolphins.

For Webster, it is another opportunity to chase the ultimate prize in his third crack at finals footy in four years at the helm in Auckland.

Webster knows his side have shown some minor defensive lapses in recent weeks, but rather than hitting the panic button, he sees them as problems that are ‘simple fixes’ and what could be a secret weapon.

“We are going after teams. We will make it hard for them and we need to iron out one little thing. If you didn't have that piece of improvement, you can come into the finals complacent," Webster said.

“The biggest thing for me around it is that it’s an easy fix, it’s a simple fix."

That calmness has become a Webster trademark - a trait he no doubt honed while working alongside Ivan Cleary during the Panthers' glory run.

Webster was Cleary's assistant coach in back-to-back premierships in 2021 and 2022, gaining a first-hand look at the standards required to consistently perform in September.

Now he is trying to create those same habits in Auckland.

“Making sure each rep counts, each moment your focus is on that. If you have a good training session, it gives you a good chance to have a good game," said Webster.

“I’ll repeat myself 100 times, making sure we don’t turn up on game day and try to be something we’re not.

“We know what our footy looks like. We don’t mind if someone else knows, and the opposition knows what we look like.

“We’ll be at our best and do it our way. We are confident.”

That belief will be put to the test against the Dolphins, with the Warriors playing in front of a sold-out Go Media Stadium and their loyal home support that has become such a weapon throughout the whole season.

But while the occasion will be big, Webster is determined not to let his players get caught up in it.

“Everyone’s really level-headed, grounded, knows what they’ve got to do. We’re very big on being ourselves,” he said.

“We have a lot of experience, a lot of confidence, a lot of players that we believe in.

“Bring your best football and the rest takes care of itself.”

And Webster knows the Warriors will need leadership from inside the playing group when the game heats up.

Enter four-time premiership winning prop James Fisher-Harris and NSW Origin hardman Mitch Barnett, who have formed a formidable co-captaincy pairing.

“They are big games with lots of pressure and we are in a good spot that has a balance of that youth who aren’t scared or intimidated by it because they don’t know it yet, then you have those guys who have been there a lot and know exactly what to do,” he said.

“We could not be more wrapped than those two as captains. We are so happy they are ours.

“They take it upon themselves to not assume the boys aren’t ready on game day and they’ve got some great supporters around them.”