Former Warrior Richie Blackmore has issued a strong call for coach Andrew Webster to rethink his selection strategy, urging him to give younger players a go and questioning his reliance on loyalty over form.
Recent Warriors’ performances have sparked significant discussion, particularly the team’s 66-6 loss to the Gold Coast Titans.
Webster named a nearly unchanged team to face Brisbane Broncos missing a host of origin stars, and despite getting the win, the external noise is getting louder.
Well-acquainted with the Warriors and the Auckland rugby league scene, Blackmore declared that it’s time for Webster to make tough decisions, while speaking on SENZ’s Running It Straight.
“You’ve got to put your big boy pants on when it comes down to it. It’s one of the things you get paid for in any position as a leader – you’ve got to make the hard choices,” he said.
Webster’s team selection has come under fire for its perceived loyalty to certain players, which Blackmore argues should never override loyalty to the game and the team’s objectives.
“Loyalty to individuals should never override loyalty to the game and to the purpose of what you’ve been fighting for over a course of time,” Blackmore added.
SEN commentator Sam Hewat noted the likely impact of Webster’s choices on the team’s younger players.
“They’re seeing, you know, a team lose by 60 points, and guys that really didn’t have the effort, who just get named again. I wonder what message it does sort of send to the younger guys?” Hewat observed.
“It’s the first real chink in Andrew Webster‘s armour, right? He’s been basically invincible for 18 months, and yes, before that game this season has been struggling along,” he continued.
Despite a morale-building 32-16 win against a significantly under-strength Broncos on Saturday night, the pressure is mounting on Webster to justify his team selections.
Blackmore maintains that dropping star players should not be harder than dropping younger ones.
“It should not make it any harder for him to drop an Addin Fonua-Blake or Shaun Johnson, as it will be to drop one of the young kids because in the end, you’ve got a principle that you live by.”