Assured of a finals appearance, Warriors coach Ivan Cleary declared his side will go in search of the 'ultimate crown' after thumping Brisbane 36-4 on Friday.
Cleary's side cannot drop lower than seventh, as the Rabbitohs 24-16 victory over Parramatta lifted them to eighth spot with 26 points – four behind the Warriors with one round left before the post-season.
After finishing 14th last year (third to last), the Auckland-club was tipped by many pundits to contest the wooden spoon in 2010. That being the case, Cleary took great pride from the seven-try mauling of the Broncos that booked a place in September action.
He attributed a resolve to rebuild team confidence in the off-season for the transformation and said now the belief was there to challenge for the premiership.
"It's very satisfying," the coach proclaimed. "Now we are in the top eight to try and win it. That's a long way off but half the teams are gone and we're still here.
"To know all that hard work gives you the opportunity to play for the ultimate crown...that's nice to know.
"We had a disappointing season last year. We didn't talk about finals. Our focus now is to get as high as we can, hopefully, that can get us a second [life]."
The Warriors shot out to a 24-0 lead, thanks to excellent ball control and superior field position that laid on five electric first half tries which effectively put the result beyond doubt. It meant, for the first time this year, Cleary felt relaxed and could enjoy the end of a match.
"I didn't anticipate the score being that big," he said.
A close to capacity crowd (21,617) generated an exciting atmosphere that was fitting given the match was a send-off for retiring veteran Steve Price.
After employing a defensive style for the majority of the season, the Warriors threw off the shackles against the Broncos. That adventurous brand of footy was something they would take into their last regular season match against the Eels, and into their finals onslaught.
"We've always had that in us," Cleary said of the brilliant ball-movement and attacking flair. "In the last month we've tried to protect [the lead]. Tonight, the occasion brought out a bit more. That's the best way to do it."
Captain Simon Mannering said the win would give his side a lot of confidence. He looked back to 2008, when the Warriors qualified eighth but knocked over the first-placed Melbourne Storm, as an example of what they could achieve in a sudden-death arena.
"We were desperate to win tonight," Mannering said.
"It gives the team confidence to know what we do works well. Even though we lost last week, we took a lot from that [16-19 defeat to Manly]. We didn't play our best but we showed a lot of grit. That goes a long way in games.
"It's a good classy performance tonight. We'll take it into next week. It is important to be playing well going into the finals."
Star winger Manu Vatuvei, who claimed his 18th try in 17 outings this year, was taken from the field late in the match with knee a injury but Cleary said that was 'precautionary' and he would not be resting anyone next week.
While workaholic lock Micheal Luck is unlikely to feature until Round 1 of the finals, at the earliest, after sustaining a nasty leg gash.