- Warriors coach is holding footy journalists accountable
- Andrew Webster used a whistle to call out ‘crap’ questions
- Comes as his team face a fight to stay in the NRL top eight
Under-pressure Warriors coach Andrew Webster has taken the extraordinary step of using a referee’s whistle to combat so-called ‘crap’ questions at his weekly press conference.
As the fifth-placed Warriors look to get their NRL season back on track, a cheeky Webster told reporters in Auckland they would be ‘put in the (sin) bin’ if they erred in their lines of inquiry.
Webster made good on his promise when prodded about his halves combination, an area of vulnerability since the side lost talisman Luke Metcalf to a season-ending knee injury.
Te Maire Martin is missing this week’s clash with St George Illawarra after suffering a concussion against Canterbury, his first game replacing Tanah Boyd at halfback.
After this week, the choice between Boyd and Martin could be season-defining for the Warriors, who are on a three-game losing streak and still not locked in for finals.
Asked how he saw the halves conundrum playing out once Martin was available, Webster blew the whistle.
‘If I have a crap response, you can whistle me too, but I’m not going to pick next week’s team (now),’ Webster bluntly said.
The Warriors confirmed on Wednesday Martin had signed a one-year deal that would keep him at the club next season.
Warriors coach Andrew Webster (left) has taken the extraordinary step of using a referee’s whistle to combat so-called ‘crap’ questions from journalists at his weekly press conference
Webster is feeling the pressure, with his team losing five of their past seven NRL matches to tumble down the ladder with the finals looming
Webster blew the whistle again when quizzed whether the club had previously told 29-year-old Martin they would need to ‘prioritise younger players for next season.’
‘I’ve certainly never told Te Maire that I didn’t want him, and that’s the truth, not through him, not through his agent,’ Webster said.
‘I’ve never said to Te Maire that I want the youth over you. Never. That’s why the whistle went there because that’s so far from the truth.’
Martin has impressed Webster across 13 games this season, most of which have come as the Warriors’ bench utility.
But the coach conceded he’d left the Warriors vulnerable by dropping Boyd and promoting Martin last week, given the move left the side without their Mr Fix-It.
‘I thought Te Maire forced his way into the team, I thought he’d played really good football,’ Webster said.
‘But at the same time I got it wrong, didn’t I? Because next minute Te Maire got injured and we’ve only got one half. That’s just life.’
Speculation Jett Cleary, brother of NRL superstar Nathan, could make his first-grade debut in the halves didn’t eventuate, with Boyd named to return from a week in the wilderness.
Webster said he’d never lost faith in the former Gold Coast Titans star, who had worn Metcalf’s No.7 jersey for four weeks.
‘(Boyd) had things he had to go back to (NSW) Cup and work on, but it wasn’t a case of you’ve been crap, I’m dropping you,’ he said.
