New Zealand Warriors coach has revealed he had no issue with his side taking five shots at penalty goal during their loss to the Dolphins on Saturday evening in Auckland.
The Warriors scored just one try in the contest, but still finished with 16 points as Taine Tuaupiki slotted five from five off the kicking tee in penalty goal scenarios.
The constant penalty goals raised eyebrows, with the Dolphins able to get their game together in the final 20 minutes and run over the top of the Warriors, scoring 3 tries in a 15-minute window.
"We didn't get the opportunity to get a flow in to our attack. That's the negative side of taking the penalty goals, but to stretch them out to eight points, we had to do it. It's a no-brainer," Webster said during his post-match press conference.
"The negative side is there, but at the same time, the eight-point gap is what every team should take."
Webster admitted his side were on top at halftime, but things went wrong in the second half when they went looking for contact.
"We went in to halftime still really pleased, thought if we come out and played our best football [we'd be okay], but we were trying so hard and they were bouncing off us," Webster said.
"We were chasing contact and collision, and they were pinballing. We have to be more efficient next week."
In what was a chaotic finals encounter, three players were sent to the sin bin during the first half, with the Warriors at one point reduced to 11 players with Adam Pompey (shoulder charge) and Kurt Capewell (running in on a push and shove) both off the field. Selwyn Cobbo was sin binned for the Dolphins at the same time, leaving 12 vs 11 for a period.
Captain Mitch Barnett said he thought his side dealt with the passage of play well.
"It didn't help [the sin bins]. I actually thought we handled that period really well, so I don't know if it took enough gas out of us to lose the game, but there were just periods there where we didn't play well," Barnett said when asked if the sin bins had taken too much gas out of his side.
The chaos of the sin bin period was matched by that in the pre-game, when Leka Halasima suffered a hamstring injury during the warm-up.
Webster indicated it's a totally new injury for the centre.
"A hamstring in the warm-up. Nothing connected to the ankle injury he has been having," Webster said of Halasima.
"He felt it in the first stride out and he couldn't go. I don't know any more than that right now."
The head coach was pressed on what comes next for his side, and said they are equally as happy playing next week as they are having a week off.
"Motivated. I don't think we can sulk for long. There is another path for us, and it's not the direct path, but it's a different one," Webster said.
"We have to move on quick, have to take the lesson and get better. We still did a lot of good things tonight, but there were some moments we lost tonight that were costly against a very fast team.
"We are in control of our own destiny. We are [still] one win away from being just where we were, and that's a grand final qualifier.
"It keeps us playing, it keeps us together and connected rather than trying to find two weeks of training and wondering what the best formula is.
"We know this formula. We are really good at resetting, so I'm looking forward to seeing this week."
The Warriors will host the Newcastle Knights in a semi-final next weekend, while the Dolphins will await either the Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters, Cronulla Sharks or North Queensland Cowboys in a preliminary final in a fortnight.
