It's the only thing people are talking about, but the Warriors are trying to put playoff permutations out of their minds ahead of Saturday's game against the Dragons.

Ratepayers will contribute up to $12 million over the next five years towards the Auckland NRL Nines tournament, which will be officially launched today.

Regrets? The Warriors will have a few.

It's taken him a whole season to prove his worth but Tony Williams finally delivered when it mattered for Canterbury as the Bulldogs drove the final nail into Penrith's NRL finals hopes with a 34-14 win at ANZ Stadium last night.

Dare to dream. This was almost inexplicable - a stunning performance that defied the poor results of the past month and kept their play-off hopes alive.

Shaun Johnson's performance against the Raiders last night was reflected afterwards by his body.

Despite his foibles, fragility and moments of frustration in 2013, the man whose opinion matters most thinks Manu Vatuvei has improved and will "only get better".

It was old boys' day at Mt Smart Stadium in the last home game of the season but, rather than looking backwards, the Warriors are still looking ahead because their dream of making the top eight is still alive.

The Warriors must beat the Raiders tonight at Mt Smart Stadium if they have any chance of making the playoffs.

Cameron Smith says the NRL's attempts to eliminate the shoulder charge from the game haven't worked and have only created confusion amongst the playing ranks.

Finals football has come to the Warriors two weeks early because the team are approaching Saturday's match against the Raiders at Mt Smart Stadium like a knockout game.