There have also been renewed calls for New Zealand to have a second NRL side in the competition, which the ruling body have said they would seriously consider, and there are now upwards of 60 New Zealand players running around in Australia's premier competition on any given weekend.
The game has never been in such good health and it wasn't that long ago it was it a parlous state, administratively at least. Playing numbers were declining, the national body was on the brink of collapse and people's perceptions of the code were often negative.
There have been a handful of factors that have got rugby league to the point it is now but the Warriors' role in it has been a leading one.
The creation of the Toyota Cup has benefitted the Warriors more than any other club. They introduced a development programme in 2006 with players like Elijah Taylor, Russell Packer and Ben Matulino under the gaze of Tony Iro but nothing for them to play in. That all changed in 2008.
Very quickly they have gone from about 40 players on their books to close to 100. About 20 will be released at the end of the season and a fresh batch brought in next year and even half of the Junior Warriors squad playing in Sunday's Toyota Cup grand final won't be at the club in 2012.
It's not a foolproof system. They make mistakes and some players don't kick on in the way they might have hoped, but it's clear it is working more often than not.
The team that runs out against Manly on Sunday will have six players who came through the Toyota Cup ranks and there are others like immensely-talented centre Konrad Hurrell who are already being talked about as possible first-graders next year.
Instead of finding themselves out of their depth when they play first grade, like many did in the past, young players like Kevin Locke and Shaun Johnson are ready to play and make an impact in NRL.
This year's captain Ben Henry has already played more than 60 Toyota Cup games and, like many of team-mates, understands what it means to play professionally and be on the road every second weekend. What makes the Junior Warriors' success more remarkable is the fact 11 playing on Sunday will be eligible for the under-20 competition again next season.
Warriors recruitment manager Dean Bell has no shortage of young players to cast his eye over but knows it's a competitive business and Australian clubs are adopting more aggressive tactics to get to talent first.
"There are plenty of good players but we have to stay on our toes because plenty of Aussie scouts know their way to New Zealand," he says. "I think [our success is] people doing their jobs, doing what they are paid to do. But also we have such a huge talent pool in New Zealand and young players are responding to the demands of the under-20s. I said many years ago when the under-20s was formed we would benefit the most and how true that was.
"To have three teams in [the grand finals] shows what we are doing behind the scenes. The future is looking very bright for the Warriors."
What would make it even brighter is if rugby league was able to establish a foothold at secondary school level. Many schools still don't cater for children who want to play rugby league - they can play just about any other sport - and when they do it is often compromised.
But many, like Hurrell, are crossing over to rugby league. The big centre played rugby union at Auckland Grammar but was tempted to the 13-man code. Incredibly, this is in only his first year of rugby league.
The fact he is playing live on television most weeks is appealing. He might have gone on to make more money and be more famous in union but professional rugby league is a legitimate and attractive option.
Success can be cyclical but the Warriors appear to be in a better place to achieve it more often. A win on Sunday wouldn't do their chances any harm, either.
