I watched spellbound as the Warriors' structure, their communication, their commitment, their defence, their passing, their ball security and their decision-making all merged together into a kind of blue steel. They played with a cold, disciplined ferocity which pinned the Storm in their half.
It wasn't flash football.
There wasn't even all that much creativity about it.
But the Storm weren't going anywhere. They threw themselves against the storm shutters of the Warriors and blew themselves out. When the final Shaun Johnson-Lewis Brown thrust came, there was almost an air of inevitability.
I can remember the late 80s when Buck Shelford's All Black team made public their pursuit of perfection; head and shoulders as they were over all international opposition of the day.
They didn't quite make it - but all sportspeople knew what they were looking for; that day when all the elements are in sync and the mojo isn't just working, it's going off the scale.
Olympic rowers struggle to describe the sensation of taking their shell out one day for it to hump and bump along - and then to take it out the next and experience the spine-tingling feeling of the boat floating on air; singing like Kiri Te Kanawa.
Some in the Warriors, notably director John Hart, are unhappy that the Warriors did not do more to retain coach Ivan Cleary but the planets were clearly aligned by the shock of his departure.The players have plainly been doing it for their coach. It's a moot point whether this would have happened had Cleary not been leaving.
There is another major point to make. This three-finals-fling is the culmination of a deliberate strategy and execution at the Warriors, again with unprecedented success.
They decided some years ago that they were to be a development side rather than a buying side - like the Manly of years ago who were (and still are, in some quarters) derided as "silvertails"; men with big chequebooks, light on loyalty.
This strategy was devised and actioned by Hart, chief executive Wayne Scurrah, Cleary, the talent-spotting and development genius of John Ackland and the smooth coaching and player management skills of Tony Iro. The payoff has been enormous.
By any measure, the Warriors' four props have been the chugging engine of the team this year and three of them - Sam Rapira, Russell Packer and the highly impressive Ben Matulino - have come through the ranks. That's before you even get to the likes of Shaun Johnson and Kevin Locke.
The advantage of this approach is three-fold - it makes the salary cap more manageable; it enables key purchases of Australian players like Micheal Luck, Jacob Lillyman, Feleti Mateo and player of the season James Maloney; and most importantly it fuels New Zealand rugby league with depth and options.
The Warriors are now what they have never been before; they are the guiding light of league in this country, finally fulfilling a vision.
It would be naive to call the three-finals-fling a shift of power but it is certainly a significant change. What will be fascinating next year, no matter what happens today, is to see where the club goes with coach Bluey McClennan on board and with Scurrah playing a far more independent role these days; he was in the forefront of the decision to get McClennan and not offer more to keep Cleary.
Many in league think the hardened professionals of Manly will be too much for the Warriors today. We'll see. Certainly finals experience rests with Manly - but this Warriors team are in a mood. If they can play with that undeniable, clinical efficiency, Manly could be the Bald Eagles.
