Ford reveals how Webster pub meeting saved his NRL career

Jackson Ford has revealed how he considered walking away from rugby league in 2022 and how a meeting with Andrew Webster convinced him to keep his dream alive.

An incredible breakout start to the 2026 season sees Jackson Ford sitting atop the Dally M leaderboard, collecting 17 out of a possible 18 points to start the year.

Ford, a Gerringong Lions junior, debuted for the Dragons back in 2019, but was told by the club he wasn’t a first grader, thus looking for other options.

But the prop almost didn’t make it to New Zealand, revealing to SEN how he almost quit the game to become a carpenter, before a pub meeting with Webster encouraged him to go all in with the Warriors.

“There wasn't much on the table, to be honest,” Ford told SEN 1170 The Run Home.

“I think there was like a couple bottom dollar (offers), Parra (Eels) and Canberra were the only sort of other two options.

“But then… my manager sort of said, ‘the Warriors are keen’, and… at the time, I was thinking, ‘Jesus, I don't know about that’. You know what I mean?

“I wasn't gonna be getting too much money either. I'm a carpenter as well, so I was sort of half even considering that, giving it up and starting because I never really had much confidence leaving from that Dragons period.

“I was always sort of getting told that I'm not a first grader and stuff, so I was weighing up my options.

I went to the pub, met him (Webster), (and) as soon as I sort of had a chat to him, I thought, ‘let's just have a shot and we'll head over there and go all in’.”

Cut to present day, and Ford is the form front rower of the competition, averaging 200m and 30 tackles a game, becoming a leader in a Warriors’ pack already full of talent.

Stepping up in the absence of Mitch Barnett, Ford is now an integral part of a pack already including international forwards James Fisher-Harris, Mitch Barnett, and Erin Clark, playing an average of 75 minutes.

Ford credits much of his breakout start to coach Andrew Webster, who was a guiding mentor in identifying Ford’s flaws and helping him work on them.

“(Webster) just told me stuff that I didn't even know about myself,” Ford said.

“I was in the Dragons system for a long time, and he was telling me stuff that I hadn't even heard from them boys.

“Like, you got a left arm carry, I see you doing this, and I think we can fix this up. This is what we need to fix you up with some little things.

“It just sort of opened my (eyes). I was like ‘that sounds exactly like he knows what he's talking about.’”

Ford’s Warriors take on the Wests Tigers in Round 4 in New Zealand.