Analysis - If there was one moment that summed up the emotion of the Warriors' 40-10 win over the Knights, it came with seven minutes to play.
Using his last interchange, Andrew Webster brought Shaun Johnson off the field simply so he could enjoy a standing ovation from the capacity 26,000-strong Mt Smart crowd.
"Everyone's talking about pressure, about how we've got the weight of the nation on our shoulders," Johnson said post-match.
"If you want to channel that and use that correctly, you create things, create moments. We're so proud of what we've been able to build this year, and we should celebrate it in the moment ... let's enjoy it right now."
Warriors celebrate Bayley Sironen's try during the NRL elimination final match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Newcastle Knights. Photo: Photosport
That is why Johnson was lapping up every bit of applause when he triumphantly marched back to the bench, and it was richly deserved. This was the best Warriors performance of the season, probably for a fair few seasons in all honesty.
They started brilliantly, finished solidly and withstood a decent chunk of time on defence by a talented Knights team that came in full of confidence after winning 10 games in a row.
Johnson had been the most talked about player leading into the game, which is not unusual considering he is in the frame for the Dally M Medal. But the intrigue surrounding his fitness made for a few days of subterfuge, as the media tried to sneak a look at his strapped leg and calculate just how long he was training for.
Even when the Warriors were warming up, there was still a bit of doubt as to whether he would take the field, or emerge from the changing rooms in a tracksuit and head to the stands. Unfortunately for the Knights, Johnson came out, and came out swinging.
Shaun Johnson. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
No one could really believe what they were seeing after the Warriors scored three times in the first 12 minutes. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad started how he meant to continue with one barely after the ball had been kicked off, Addin Fonua-Blake followed up with his eighth of the season, then the always happy Marcelo Montoya squeezed in the corner to make it 16-0.
After Adam Pompey's sideline conversion split the posts, the roar that had greeted each score simply did not subside. It was like rolling thunder for the remainder of the game, appreciative of every big defensive set or kick that went to land rather than hand.
Dom Young and Greg Marzhew came in with fearsome reputations, having scored a staggering 46 tries between them, and while the Mangere East junior Marzhew did dot down in the first half, they were extremely well contained. Montoya in particular was relentless on the 6 foot 7 inch Young, putting him over the sideline twice.
By the end of the game, Nicoll-Klokstad, who earlier in the week had opened up about how he could not believe he was back at the Warriors playing in a home final after being offloaded to the Raiders for four seasons, had run for 297 metres.
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. Photo: Photosport / David Neilson
Tohu Harris had made 39 tackles. Dylan Walker had scored a crucial try that caused the Knights' heads to drop. Everyone was playing their parts, and the crowd rose in song to bid the visitors farewell.
It was a farewell to the Warriors, win or lose, this was their last home game. With the business end of the NRl, they will head to Brisbane next weekend to face the powerful Broncos for a spot in the final, but as Johnson said, Saturday night was a chance to celebrate what the club had right then and there.
It is fair to say that the 26,000 fully agreed with him.
If nothing else, that might be the main achievement of the Warriors in 2023. Given where they were this time last year, it is astounding how far they have come. Johnson knows that full well, as he almost embodies the transformation through his own career revival.
And it's not lost on him: "We are so proud of what we've been able to build this year ... right now, that's as special as it gets."
