The Warriors qualified for the NRL playoffs for the sixth time. Michael Burgess looks back at their previous quests for a first title.
* 2001
New coach Daniel Anderson guided the Warriors into the playoffs for the first time, although their reward was a match against a red-hot Eels team. The minor premiers sprinted away to a 24-6 halftime lead against a nervy Warriors outfit and things unravelled further in the second half. The eventual 56-12 loss remains the biggest in playoffs history. Parramatta went on to lose a bizarre grand final, going down to Newcastle 30-24 after trailing 24-6 at halftime.
* 2002
The Warriors were third going into the final weekend but an unlikely series of results - both Brisbane and Newcastle lost - propelled Kevin Campion's men into first on points differential.
The Warriors met Canberra in the first semifinal held outside Australia and romped to a 36-20 win. Team owner Eric Watson gave away 15,000 tickets to Kiwis in Sydney for a gripping major semifinal against Cronulla.
With five minutes to play, a Stacey Jones grubber sat up perfectly for John Carlaw to secure a famous 16-10 win. In the grand final against the Roosters, Jones stepped past five players to score early in the second half and give the Warriors a 8-6 lead. They blew a great chance moments later and Richard Vilisanti's late hit on Brad Fittler fired up the Roosters, who won 30-8.
* 2003
The Warriors finished the regular season sixth and faced the Bulldogs, who had the competition's stingiest defence. In a scarcely believable performance, the Warriors scored nine tries - Francis Meli grabbed five - to claim a 48-22 victory. A week later Jones potted a wobbly drop goal to steal a 17-16 win over the Raiders. In the major semi-final against Penrith, they missed crucial chances to score at 10-10 and the Panthers eventually won 28-20. They went on to beat the Roosters 18-6 in a compelling grand final.
* 2007
A late-season run saw the Warriors finish fourth and seal their second-ever home semifinal. But they produced an error-riddled display against Parramatta, going down 12-10. In their next match against the Cowboys, they led 12-6 early but a string of errors in the 30-degree Townsville heat saw the Warriors eventually capitulate to an awful 49-12 defeat. The Cowboys would fall to Manly, who were ruthlessly dispatched 34-8 by Melbourne in the grand final.
* 2008
After a horrible mid-season slump, the Warriors put together a streak of victories which catapulted them into eighth and a match against the Storm. They were given little hope but scored a long-range 78th-minute try to Michael Witt to keep their season alive. The Roosters were fried 30-13 at Mt Smart Stadium the following week, but they ran into an unbeatable Manly side in Sydney and went down 32-6. Manly went on to beat the Storm 40-0 in the grand final.
