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FWC on Sport Nation guide'There's only one Jackson Ford': Webster backs Warriors depth after injury blow
Stephen Foote •  June 24th, 2026 5:28 pm
Andrew Webster | Photo: Photosport
Coach Andrew Webster admits no one can truly replace Jackson Ford, but believes the Warriors' depth will ensure they can cover the influential forward's absence as they enter a crucial stretch of the NRL season.
Ford is expected to spend up to three months on the sidelines due to surgery to repair a torn pectoral suffered during the win over the Cowboys in Christchurch last weekend.
Webster concedes even a 10-week return timeline may be optimistic, with his likely return set to coincide with the opening round of the NRL playoffs.
"Knowing Jackson, if he recovers like he plays, he's going to be going full noise," Webster told Sport Nation's Millsy & Guy.
Ford had been among the names mentioned as NSW considers likely changes for Origin III | Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
"Hopefully we can get him back early, but we wish we had him out there and we don't, so we just move on to what's up next."
The loss is a significant blow for the second-placed Warriors, with Ford emerging as one of the NRL's breakout performers this season through his relentless work rate and consistency - attributes which saw him sitting among the Dally M medal contenders.
But with loss comes opportunity, and Webster is confident the club's systems and squad-first mentality have prepared them for moments like this, when they're able to lean on their impressive depth.
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Perhaps nowhere is that depth more on show than upfront, where the likes of Jacob Laban, Tanner Stowers-Smith and Demitric Vaimauga are raring to sink their teeth into the additional workload on offer and fill that void left by Ford's indefatigable motor, not to mention the return of veteran Kurt Capewell from Origin duty.
"There's only one Jackson Ford," Webster admitted.
"But we're really big on every player just bringing their own superpowers and not trying to be someone else.
"What we said at the start is it can take a squad to be successful, not 17 players, so that's what we're trying to build here."
The Warriors have already been forced to navigate injuries throughout the season and Webster believes the experience has strengthened the group heading into the run home.Â
He's adamant his squad will ensure the standards don't slip, as they prepare for another stern test against the scorching Dolphins at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
Their hosts are riding a club record seven-match win streak, with their most recent loss all the way back in Round 8, coincidentally against the Warriors in Wellington, one of the sterner tests the NZ-based side have had all season.
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Webster notes his team have become comfortable with being the hunted - a challenge they warmly welcome in front of what will likely be an enormous throng of Wahs faithful.
Snapping that streak so shorthanded would make an emphatic statement and turn plenty of heads, as the competition prepares to enter its home stretch.
"We look forward to these games. We're glad that they're in form and we're glad they're playing well. We want to test ourselves against the best. We feel like we're getting a lot of teams' best games at the moment. They want to try and knock us off.Â
"We obviously played them in Wellington and that was one of the harder games this year. We only just got over in the second half.
"We're looking forward to the challenge in their backyard, which probably will be our backyard because all our fans will be there."
Listen to the full interview below:
