As he nears the end of an incredible first season in charge of NZ Warriors, Andrew Webster is taking pride in the support from a New Zealand public that's rediscovered its love of rugby league.
Returning to New Zealand to take charge of a Warriors side that had gone through its worst season on record in 2022, Webster has completely revitalised the NRL's only Kiwi club.
Last year, the Warriors finished just four points off their first wooden spoon, winning just six games all season alongside 18 defeats.
In 2023 though, those numbers will make for much different reading.
Regardless of what happens on Saturday, when a rotated side travels to Brisbane to face the Dolphins in the club's regular season finale, the Warriors will finish inside the top four.
Webster's side have won 16 games already this year, and booked a first playoffs return since 2018 for their efforts.
A top four finish has guaranteed at least one playoff match at home for the Warriors, although it remains to be seen exactly where that will be played.
The reversal of fortunes has seen Webster as a shoe-in to contend for the Dally M coach of the year award, all in his first season in charge of a senior NRL side.
But with a handful of games left in 2023, Webster is deflecting any credit for the resurgence, and directing it straight at the players who've got the club to where they are.
"They deserve so much for how hard they've worked, how much they've connected as a group, and how much they've bought in," he said.
"It's fun to come to work every day, winning is fun - I gather that. There was a period there where we were one from five, I didn't see any anxiety or stress.
"I just saw guys who came in, bought in, stayed the course of the system. We're not changing anything, we're all committed.
"There was no panic stations, because they were so tight as a group and had so much fun and believed in it.
"My time with the group and the staff has been the best bit."
Meanwhile, public support for the Warriors is approaching fever pitch.
As an independent review into New Zealand rugby showed the troubles within Aotearoa's historically perceived national game, rugby league is going from strength to strength.
For the first time in Warriors history, crowd attendance at both home and away matches will top 500,000.
Webster's side have been supported on both sides of the Tasman, as credit to the way they've transformed their own fortunes in 2023.
At home, a total of more than 272,000 fans have attended Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, second only to the club's inaugural season in 1995.
Those numbers are a stark contrast to Webster's first stint with the Warriors, as an assistant to Andrew McFadden.
But with that support firmly in tow, Webster couldn't be more grateful for how the Warriors have been accepted by the Kiwi public.
"The country's been going nuts for four to six weeks," he added. "It's been amazing, I'm really proud of the whole of New Zealand.
"I don't think I realised the responsibility of it. I knew it was a one-nation team, I knew that last time I was here.
"[I didn't realise] about how much enjoyment, and how much it means to the whole country. The whole country gets behind us.
"I just want to stay consistent through this little period, I don't want to be something we're not.
"I just want to go after the opportunity, enjoy it along the way, and make sure we play our best football. If we do that, we can achieve whatever we want.
"Walking down the street, it's something I've never experienced before. Even living in Penrith - a small community where they're rugby league mad.
"The passion here has gone to a new level."
Join Newshub from 5pm Saturday for live updates of NZ Warriors v Dolphins
