Their completion rate (14 sets to the Tiger's 21) was not great but the main issue was defence as the Tigers enjoyed the freedom of ANZ stadium, with Benji Marshall in particular able to pick out support runners at will.
"We had to fix our defence - we were spectators for the Benji and Robbie [Farah] show in the first half," says Cleary.
"You can talk about completions but the key was improving our defence."
They did and, while the Rugby World Cup waits for its first genuine upset, the Warriors served up a sporting sensation. A 78th minute try to Inu sealed the incredible win.
He was labelled an inconsistent, flaky, "rocks and diamonds" player earlier in the season but showed the poise of an assassin to score.
Down 18-6 at halftime, the Warriors climbed off the canvas in the second spell, pulling back to 20-18 before Inu's late golden grab.
Aside from the skills, execution and belief, what stood out was the sheer courage; the courage to keep their heads when little went their way in the first 40 minutes; the courage to dig deep when obviously exhausted from the weight of first half tackling and the courage to chance their arm in the second spell when they knew one mistake might kill them off. The Tigers exposed soft edges around the Warriors ruck, with Keith Galloway, Farah and Marshall crossing from close in.
"They were three of the softest tries we have conceded all season," admitted Luck. "We had to target the man with the ball and stop worrying about what was happening out wide. In the first spell we were obsessed with Marshall."
The Warriors trailed 4-0 in the penalty count at halftime, a big swing in a playoff match, but just as frustrating were the calls they didn't get. At one point Farah's interference in the ruck went unpunished as Hohaia knocked on before moments later the Tiger's captain 'milked' his own penalty after being held down.
Despite the first half scoreline, Luck never stopped believing: "When we scored in the first half I knew we were a chance. It was our only decent set and we showed what was possible."
That try was set up by Locke who arrowed through four defenders from dummy half before throwing a brilliant flick pass to James Maloney. Moments earlier the fullback, who carried for a team high 137 metres, had come up with one of the plays of the game when he somehow regathered a kick then dived back into the field of play in one motion.
Then came Inu. While he was caught out defensively on occasions, he also made two slashing line breaks in the first half and was a constant aerial threat. His try was a subtle act of genius.
"Krisnan has had an up and down year," says Luck, "but whenever he comes into the side he does the job. His runs out of trouble were huge and he is a massively talented player who can do things that nobody else can do."
Ben Matulino (130m) and Lewis Brown (119m) led the yardage men, while Luck (45 tackles), the immensely influential Simon Mannering (37) and Rapira (29) added the starch. Brown (14 hit ups), Jacob Lillyman (13) and a resurgent Manu Vatuvei helped to bend the Tigers defensive line.
It is hard not to feel some sympathy for Tim Sheens' Tigers, crashing out again as anointed title favourites. They sparkled in the first half but seemed to go into their shell once they established a sizeable lead. Marshall was attempting drop goals late in the first half and they elected to kick for goal midway through the second spell when the Warriors were on the ropes.
Ironically, Marshall opened the door for Inu's late show when he naively ran the ball on the fifth tackle, giving Warriors possession on halfway with three minutes to play.
