“I'm really confident”: Webster bullish on top-eight hopes as Warriors brace for Tigers

It was a familiar refrain from coach Andrew Webster from One NZ Warriors headquarters on Wednesday, assessing his team's attempts as they try to salvage their season at Mt Smart on Friday.

The past three weeks have seen the 14th-placed Warriors delve deeper into 'must win' territory, and it's no different for this week's contest against the cellar-dwelling Wests Tigers, one of just three teams below them on the NRL ladder.

"We've just got to win games," Webster said matter-of-factly. "It's so tight."

And if they're to avoid taking the next step into the dreaded 'mathematical possibility' realm they'll need to live up to their status as significant betting favourites against Benji Marshall's Tigers, who are anchored at the bottom of the competition standings.

While there are plenty of fans and pundits who have essentially drawn a line through the Warriors' hopes of clinching a top-eight berth, Webster knows full well what his side are capable of.

Inconsistency has been a glaring issue for the team in 2024. But on the few occasions the side have hit their straps, the quality of rugby league they've produced has been at a level few other sides could contend with. Add the injury woes into the mix and you have a readymade formula for disappointment.

It's that situation which has made the side's current predicament all the more frustrating, as Webster holds on to the memory of what his team are capable of at their peak.

"I'm really confident," he insisted. "We've just go to play our best footy and give ourselves an opportunity. It'd be nice to get a break go our way.

"I think it's frustrating for everybody just because we know, fans, all the staff, all the players particularly, they know how good they can be. We haven't put it together yet, but we can make a run here and get ourselves in the eight.

"But there's no point looking ahead. We've got to win this week and have a real strong performance."

Critical to piecing that performance together will be rectifying an offence which has struggled to convert redzone opportunities into points in recent rounds.

Fifth tackle option-taking has been a weakness throughout the Warriors' year, which Webster says come down - in part - to being too passive with their decisionmaking.

"We give ourselves good opportunities and good looks at the opposition, but we haven't executed," Webster noted.

"We haven't found that last pass. We're not seeing the right cue at the time to take it. It's just making sure that we're getting to our points. We're looking at what we want to play.

"And when we play, let's execute. Let's go after it. Let's not be passive. And I think if we're a lot more confident in our own ability, that will bring more points."

They'll have a golden opportunity to rediscover that attacking mojo against the Tigers, who have leaked an average of 45 points per game through four consecutive defeats heading into their match in Auckland.

But Webster is weary of just how dangerous a wounded side playing solely for pride can be in the notoriously competitive NRL.

"Their kids are coming on really well. I think they've got some old heads that will be really hungry this week. They've had some really good wins. You look at a lot of their scorelines, I think there are two they're not really proud of in the last six weeks, the rest of them they've been in the fight.

"I think when young talented players play NRL and have got nothing to lose, they're deadly. They're scary.

"We've got to turn up and be on our toes because they'll be fearless and I'm sure Benji is going to coach them that way."

Join SENZ of live commentary of the One NZ Warriors vs Wests Tigers at Go Media Stadium, this Friday from 6pm, followed by the Parramatta Eels vs Melbourne Storm - all available on the SENZ app and all local frequencies.