"First day of training to where we are now - it’s amazing," Andrew Webster said while up at the podium after claiming the Dally M Coach of the Year in his rookie season with the New Zealand Warriors last year.
"I’m here because of you, I know we said it a million times, but everyone just bought in to everything."
Andrew Webster’s philosophy that saved the New Zealand Warriors
Webster beat out competition from his former mentor Ivan Cleary and Kevin Walters, who had guided Brisbane to their first grand final appearance in eight years, to earn the award.
MORE: How one game last season turned the Warriors into premiership contenders
Yet Webster’s achievement was unparallelled when he woke a sleeping giant from its slumber as they climbed from a 15th place finish in 2022 to end up in the top-four for the first time in over two decades.
In the run, the coach had helped to start an 'Up the Wahs' movement across the ditch which spread to just about every inch of fabric within the game.
Webster’s tenure had been close to two decades in the making after he had done the hard yards in England before returning to the SG Ball and finally becoming an NRL assistant in 2015.
That role was at the Warriors with Andrew McFadden and a successful stint under Cleary at the foot of the mountains followed in what was his final proving ground before taking the reins of the New Zealand outfit.
"He oversees everything and he’s real smart in the detail, but he lives in the grey - it’s not black and white," Dylan Walker explained while appearing alongside Jazz Tevaga on the latest episode of Ebbs and Flows.
"Webby is one of those guys who is real detailed about his work but he also allows you to be yourself.
"We talk about footy players and how robotic they can be...don’t get me wrong some people need checklists and points to understand the game, but when you go too much into detail and go black and white, I reckon you lose the footballer."
Webster found this sweet spot within the nucleus of the Warriors' side as they went on a fairytale run in the second part of the campaign to win 11 of their final 14 regular season matches.
Shaun Johnson was pulling the strings behind an imposing pack featuring the likes of Addin Fonua-Blake and Marata Niukore as the veteran half registered 29 assists and eight tries in 25 games.
This was the most appearances he had managed in a single season, since debuting for the club all the way back in 2011.
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Yet despite the precise nature of their attack - they scored more points than all but six of their rivals - it was their newfound resolve at the opposite end of the field that really stood out.
"The big difference is the defence," Tevaga declared on Ebbs and Flows.
"With the Warriors of old, teams would just have the mentality of staying in the game and our boys will crack. Last year, we very rarely cracked.
"When times got tough someone was always there and guys were always getting the job done.
"Shauny, for once, the bro was making his tackles," Tevaga laughed. "He was stepping in and hitting and I was like 'I haven’t seen this before.'"
The Warriors finished with the third-best defensive record in the comp after conceding 448 points across the year. The only two teams who had a superior record was the Panthers and Broncos.
Walker noted how there was merit in learning from both those sides this season with Brisbane’s ab-lib style, which is littered with offloads, offering another avenue of potential attack in 2024.
LISTEN: It's now or never for the Warriors
Meanwhile, the Panthers ability to dictate the tempo of a match while methodically working to their points on the field where they spring into attack was something the Warriors were busy trying to emulate.
"It is all momentum and cues," Walker explained on Ebbs and Flows.
"But I think it’s also just the reliable game plan which Webby likes to use, especially with Shaun.
"He’s always got the spine in the No.13, No.6, No.9, No.1 and No.7. So, those come up with the game plan of what we want.
"Webby is all for it - like not out of the shape - but our plays should work within the shape.
"Penrith are the benchmark, so you look at their shape and we sort of play a similar style to them."
The three-time premiership winners are now firmly in the sights of the Warriors as one of the former assistants at the club attempts to flip the script on them and beat them at their own game.
