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Join our Fantasy SRP league'They made a pact to each other': Webster stunned by Warriors’ pre-season standards
Stephen Foote •  February 11th, 2026 12:31 pm
Andrew Webster | Photo: Photosport
The NZ Warriors head into the start of their NRL pre-season this weekend for a hit-out that appears set to be more warm-up than trial.
Heading into Saturday's clash with the Manly Sea Eagles in Napier, coach Andrew Webster believes he has all but a couple of positions set in stone for their opening round showdown against the Sydney Roosters on March 8.
"I reckon 15 players have probably picked themselves," Webster said on Tuesday.Â
"Two spots are up for grabs. But of those 15 who've got their nose in front, that could change quickly.Â
"So, we've got some decent continuity. We know who we're thinking, but then at the same time, three weeks or four weeks is a long time in footy and that could change it."
Depth is obviously one of the better conundrums to be faced with as a coach, and Webster admits they have that in spades this year, particularly among the forwards.
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The one difficulty Webster highlights is the lack of clarity it means he can provide for his troops, whose ambitious nature means they often treat that first-round selection "like it's the Olympics".
Across the board, Webster has been equally impressed by the exceptional levels of fitness his team have returned from the Christmas break with, meaning they've been able to hit the practice ground running in 2026 with a more tactic-centric approach.
But fitness and match fitness are two separate commodities, and Webster notes Saturday's outing at McLean Park will provide a hugely valuable opportunity to hone that conditioning in a game scenario.Â
"They made a pact to each other that they were physically going to go away and enjoy their break, but come back fit and hit their targets and it's the first time I've seen every single player do so," he explained. "Really impressed with that.
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"It's now about piecing the football fitness together, which we're doing, and it enabled us to do more football as opposed to just doing conditioning.Â
"That's the bit that stood out most in this group, how hard they'd worked individually."Â
Webster and his staff - as well as the fans - will be able to get theory first glimpses of a handful of promising young prospects against the Sea Eagles, most notably in the likes of rugby convert Harry Inch and NSW Cup star Luke Hanson, who will start next to Tanah Boyd in the halves, as well as Super League star Morgan Gannon, who will wear the No. 12 jersey.
Geronimo Doyle and Haizyn Mellars start at fullback and wing respectively, while Leka Halasima makes the interesting shift from the second-row to the midfield.
In injury news, Taine Tuaupiki is tracking well in his recovery and is trending towards availability for the home opener against the Roosters.
Linchpins Luke Metcalf and Mitch Barnett are expected to be available by round four.
