Warriors v Broncos: Andrew Webster’s warning to his players as NRL finals approach

More than one prominent voice has declared this side capable of ending the Warriors’ 31-year wait for a maiden premiership.

It is now mathematically impossible for the Warriors to miss the top eight, but finishing in the top two – and banking home advantage through the finals – is still on the table, even if those inside the four walls aren’t actively thinking about it.

Despite the praise coming his side’s way, though, Webster knows there is still plenty to come this season.

“You hear things,” he said. “But, for example, everyone after the Bulldogs loss said we were in trouble. Two weeks later, we’re contenders.

“Rugby league can change quickly, don’t buy too much into it. It’s a rollercoaster, if your emotions go with that rollercoaster, you don’t know whether you’re coming or going.

“We just need to stay relaxed and worry about ourselves. That performance is more important for ourselves and what we want to do, rather than what people are trying to tell us.”

On top of that, given the Panthers meet the Sydney Roosters on Thursday, there’s a very real chance the Warriors could finish the weekend as high as second on the NRL ladder.

Keeping his players grounded, then, becomes a must. While the Warriors might boast a core of veterans with experience playing in grand finals and representative football, there is also a host of juniors who have come up through the club’s ranks.

The nature of the victory over the Panthers, comprehensively outplaying some of the game’s modern-day greats, will undoubtedly bring confidence to the squad. Webster himself has professed that the win shows the Warriors belong at the highest level.

However, there’s also a risk that confidence becomes arrogance, if allowed to get out of hand.

But asked whether he now has to focus on keeping his players’ feet on the ground in preparing for the rest of the regular season, Webster also knows he can’t take away what makes his players tick.

“It’d be stupid to be constantly in front of the group, being negative saying ‘don’t smile, don’t have fun, you’re not good enough, keep improving’ when you don’t believe it,” he said.

“If I think someone’s getting ahead of themselves, it’s clear [that] myself, the rest of the staff and the playing group will clip their wings and keep them grounded.

“If you’re winning or losing, you’ve always got to stay grounded. Our maturity around that has improved this season.

“But I’m not going out with a mindset to be clipping wings when they don’t need to be clipped.”

While Penrith might be the NRL’s standard-setters, the Warriors’ victory is now yesterday’s news.

Up next, Webster’s men face the ultimate banana peel away to the Brisbane Broncos, albeit with the huge advantage of a healthy contingent of local supporters to pack into Suncorp Stadium.

While they may have lifted the NRL premiership in 2025, this year’s campaign has gone down like a lead balloon for the Broncos, now mathematically out of finals contention altogether.

According to Webster, though, the idea that their hosts will be playing for nothing couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Pride is a lot, so they do have a lot to play for. The most important thing is playing for the jersey.

“We’ve got standards we want to keep. You look at their team list, and you just know you’ve got to be ready.

“It’s not that difficult, but the opponent is difficult, because they’re a very good footy side on their day.”

The Warriors have already triumphed over the Broncos this season when they took a 42-12 victory at Suncorp during the NRL’s Magic Round.

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