The Warriors provided New Zealand with a tasty starter to their sporting feast late into 2011 with a charge into the NRL Grand Final.
It was a pity, then, that the international side left a bitter aftertaste.
It was an emotional year for the club. The Mad Butcher's efforts in bringing in countless Christchurch residents throughout the season signified the compassion of the man in what was an inspiring initiative from the Warriors' biggest supporter.
It came after the Warriors played a pre-season match at Wingham Park in Greymouth, some 45 kilometres south of where the horrific Pike River Mine blast had occurred in November 2010. A passion-charged Warriors side drew the match with the Knights as 5000 West Coast locals looked on in gratitude.
The Auckland club's first date with the Sea Eagles was in the pre-season when they were pipped 14-12 at North Harbour Stadium in an encounter that many of the 14,000 will remember as the start of the rivalry.
If there was to be a single greatest factor for the Warriors' success, it was the ability of the side to grow as a team upon hearing their coach, Ivan Cleary, would be leaving one year early to pursue a career at the Penrith Panthers.
One player who encapsulated the side's growth was halfback Shaun Johnson.
The youngster who baffled Australian league legend Andrew Johns with his ability and potential, danced across the pitch in the second half of the season to seal the No.7 jersey for years to come.
Memories of Johnson evading seven tacklers on his 70m journey to the line against the Broncos continue to dazzle league fans on both sides of the Tasman, while a clip of his touch rugby exploits has garnered over 340,000 views on YouTube.
Alongside the vastly improving Kevin Locke and the gritty Elijah Taylor, Johnson stepped up throughout the campaign alongside the more established Luck, Feleti Mateo and captain Simon Mannering to see the Kiwi club march into the NRL Grand Final at ANZ Stadium.
While there weren't many happy memories of the final - the Warriors were humbled 24-10 by the Sea Eagles - the experience of a final in their maiden year will surely boost the youngsters' confidence.
The team who Taylor captained to glory in 2010 - the Junior Warriors - won back-to-back NYC premierships, but they did it the hard way. A field goal in injury time saw the defending champions secure their second consecutive title with a 31-30 win.
Cleary wasn't the only person to leave the club at the end of the year, with veteran Lance Hohaia announcing he'd signed with St Helens on a four-year deal, while Aaron Heremaia and Joel Moon were amongst those searching for new clubs for 2012.
Johnson and Locke's heroic performances for the Warriors saw themselves move into the New Zealand side in the Four Nations side who were captained by Benji Marshall. Johnson pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Taylor.
The Wests Tigers and New Zealand five-eighth had earlier undergone some serious character tests when he appeared in court over an assault conviction, which was eventually overturned.
But the New Zealand captain and his side looked anything less than composed when they participated in the Four Nations.
New Zealand were questionably static and defensively leaking as they were humiliated 28-6 to an improving England side which meant the Kiwis missed out on the final.
It was a shock to most league fans around the country, and saw most fans grab their remotes to switch to the rival code in its own moment of glory.