The Warriors have their sights set on winning the NRL's minor premiership for just the second time in the club's history, following a giant upset in Sydney on Sunday night.
Former leaders the Sydney Roosters were stunned 25-24 by the lowly Wests Tigers – a late fightback ending when Jock Madden landed an even later field goal.
It leaves the Roosters level with the Warriors and Penrith Panthers on the same 16-6 win-loss record, but third because of a significantly inferior points differential.
The Warriors and second-placed Panthers are separated by just one differential point with two rounds to play, and with both sides finishing the season with successive home matches, they appear set to duke it out for top spot.
Matches in Auckland against the sixth-placed Newcastle Knights and 10th-placed Manly Sea Eagles await the Warriors.
Penrith's opponents are the ninth-placed Canterbury Bulldogs and 16th-placed Gold Coast Titans.
In the Panthers' favour is their September 6 match against the Titans in the season's final round-robin game. It means Ivan Cleary's team will know the winning margin required if the J.J. Giltinan Shield is decided by points for and against.
The Warriors have qualified for the NRL playoffs 10 times in their 31-season history but have only claimed one minor premiership, in 2002, when they pipped the Knights on points differential.
That Stacey Jones-led side then went on to qualify for their first grand final, where they were beaten by the Sydney Roosters.
Otherwise, they've never finished higher than fourth in the regular season.
Former Kangaroos forward Nathan Cayless said he expects the Warriors to launch a fierce challenge for this year's title, although he said an injury suffered by game-breaking winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak could be a "massive loss" for the Auckland side.
Watene-Zelezniak crossed for his 20th try of the season in Saturday's 45-26 win over South Sydney but it was later revealed he had played on for a spell after breaking his collarbone during a dive near the corner flag.
The 31-year-old was to undergo surgery on Monday and coach Andrew Webster told NewstalkZB the club still hopes they can have his services at some point in the playoffs.
Cayless told Fox Sports the Warriors had lifted their game to a new level, having introduced a short passing game in recent weeks, which South Sydney failed to cope with.
"The Warriors are playing with so much confidence at the moment. They've developed a little bit of a passing game, which has kind of thrown the defence.
"They must have been working on this sort of stuff because their front-rowers as well – James Fisher-Harris, Mitch Barnett – they've been throwing a few short balls as well. Erin Clark, we know what he can do.
"You can see the way that Andrew Webster coaches, just those tiny little details make such a difference.
"They've got a very crafty No.9 [hooker Wayde Egan] as well, who probably doesn't get the wraps he deserves because of the superstars around him."
Run for home in the race for the NRL Minor Premiership
1st. Warriors, 38 points, +295 differential
rnd 26, home to Knights
rnd 27, home to Sea Eagles
2nd. Panthers, 38, +294
rnd 26, home to Bulldogs
rnd 27, home to Tigers
3rd. Roosters, 38, +162
rnd 26, home to Dolphins
rnd 27, away to Rabbitohs
4th. Dolphins, 36, +138
rnd 26, away to Roosters
rnd 27, away to Titans
Warriors' playoff qualifying record
2001 - eighth
2002 - first (lost grand final against the Roosters)
2003 - sixth
2007 - fourth
2008 - eighth
2010 - fifth
2011 - sixth (lost grand final against the Sea Eagles)
2018 - eighth
2023 - fourth
2025 - sixth.
SHARE ME