A second-half onlaught has powered the NZ Warriors to a stunning 36-6 demolition of the Newcastle Knights in Tamworth.
After heading into the interval with an 8-6 advantage, the Warriors came out blazing in the second half, running in five unanswered tries to secure their first win over a top-eight side with their best performance of the season to date.
The victory lifts the Warriors to ninth on the ladder and puts them in genuine contention to book an unlikely playoffs berth.
Playing at their adopted home of Tamworth - where the side trained and lived when the season resumed - the Warriors gave the locals plenty to smile about, handing the previously sixth-placed Knights their most emphatic loss of the year.
Leading from start to finish, the Warriors outplayed the Knights across the park, led by a brilliant captain's knock from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who scored two second half tries.
Half Chanel Harris-Tavita was also instrumental, while centre Peta Hiku laid on two try assists for wing Adam Pompey, who finished both with aplomb.
Up front, Jazz Tevaga was a force, creating havoc with his offloads and defensive pressure, while Tohu Harris chewed up metres with his relentless engine.
The numbers tell the tale for the Warriors, whose clinical execution led to a staggering 43 of 46 set completions, to go along with 62 percent of possession and 60 percent of territory.
Pompey opened the scoring in the eighth minute, latching on to what's become a trademark Hiku flick to dive and place the ball in the corner under plenty of duress.
The Knights responded 12 minutes later, as Gehemat Shabasaki claimed Mitchell Pearce's crossfield kick for what would be his team's only try of the day.
The second half was where the real damage came from the Warriors, who put the pedal to the floor with a blitz of tries to which the Knight had no answer.
Tuivasa-Sheck grabbed his first in the 50th minute, capitalising on a slick second-man play run by Harris-Tavita to step inside off his trusty left foot and accelerate 10m to the chalk.
Ten minutes later, Hiku put on another patented backhand flick pass - this one with an extended range - to hit Pompey in stride, who still had plenty to do to stay infield and dot down in the tackle of Kalyn Ponga.
In the 70th minute, Tuivasa-Sheck drew two defenders, found Hayze Perham on the double-around, and George Jennings was set free 20m to cruise in unopposed.
Tuivasa-Sheck's second was the stuff of vintage, busting out of two tackles from first receiver, then leaving Ponga for dead to put the result completely beyond doubt.
With time almost up, Tevaga powered his way over for a well deserved try from close range to add more salt to the Knights' wounds.
The Warriors will now cross their fingers and hope other results go their way this weekend, as they prepare for a daunting final stretch of the season, which begins wiih the wounded Parramatta Eels next weekend.
