The Warriors are 80 minutes away from a fairytale NRL grand final berth after halfback Shaun Johnson inspired a 40-10 semi-final thrashing of Newcastle on his return from a calf injury.
Johnson had his fingerprints all over the fast start that catapulted the Warriors to their most memorable win of a resurgent season.
The Warriors dominated all facets of the game in their first home final since 2008 and were only briefly challenged by the Knights either side of half-time at Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday.
A preliminary final against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium is all that stands between the Warriors and the third grand final appearance of their 29-year history as they chase a maiden premiership title.
It comes after they finished second-last on the ladder in 2022 but morphed into a premiership contender under rookie head coach Andrew Webster on their full-time return to New Zealand this year.
The latest chapter in the Warriors’ fairytale brought the Knights’ own underdog story to a shattering conclusion.
Over is the 10-game winning streak that catapulted Newcastle from the bottom four to the semi-finals, and the team that entered the play-offs as the NRL’s hot-shots returns to Australia empty-handed.
Johnson came into the week under an injury cloud after tearing his calf late last month and missing the qualifying loss to Penrith, where the Warriors struggled without him.
But the Dally M Medal favourite took only minutes to assert his influence on the contest and dash any lingering concerns as to his fitness.
An error from Greg Marzhew coming out of trouble in the opening minute put the Warriors in position for as impressive a start to an NRL game as any team has made this year.
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The Knights were still reconfiguring when fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, one of the Warriors’ best with 308 run metres, scythed through their left edge on the back of some quick hands.
Johnson threw the pass that put Addin Fonua-Blake over for a try and he straightened the attack ahead of Marcelo Montoya’s try. The Warriors were up 16-0 before the Knights had completed a set.
One of the NRL’s most potent attacking sides, Newcastle briefly threatened to make a game of it when they scored either side of half-time on the back of some much-needed field position.
But the Warriors would not be chased down, their middle forward unit snapping back to form after an off night against the Panthers. Captain Tohu Harris led the way with 216 metres gained.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak bagged two second-half tries to equal Francis Meli and David Fusitu’a’s club record of 25 in a season and the Warriors stormed to a huge win.