Make no mistake, Go Media Stadium Mt Smart is a rugby league fortress once again.
After three COVID-hit years spent based in Australia, NZ Warriors have made the most of their return to Auckland, with their upturn in results making their traditional home the hottest sporting destination in town.
Under coach Andrew Webster, the Warriors class of 2023 have turned the corner from arguably the most difficult three seasons in the club's history.
Already, the Warriors have recorded 11 wins from their 18 games played, doubling their total from 2022 and on course for a return to the NRL playoffs. On Sunday, they added another valuable top-eight scalp, mauling Cronulla Sharks 44-12 in front of 24,012 devoted followers.
"[The home crowd was] super important," said Webster. "The boys have got so much pride in playing here.
"I'm so proud of the fans, so proud of the whole country in how much support we're getting at the moment. It's really cool.
"You turn up to win two points, whether you're home or away. When you're at home, there's something special about this place.
"[I want] to say thank you, I thought tonight was great."
So far this season, the Warriors have drawn home crowds averaging more than 20,000 fans at the newly rebranded Mt Smart. Those numbers are only bettered by the club's inaugural season in 1995, when an average of 27,563 fans turned each week.
As a first-time head coach, after arriving from Penrith Panthers, Webster couldn't ask for more than the current levels of support.
Now boasting one of the best home support in the NRL, he completely understands what it means to have the fanbase behind his side.
"It's important we learn that this is a fortress," he said. "You see the sign in the crowd every week - 'fortress'.
"I see it everywhere and I want to make it like that. We're still learning how to make it our own and I thought tonight was another moment - which was good."
That result, combined with equally emphatic victories over Canberra Raiders and Parramatta Eels, has seen the Warriors become a team to beat. With six regular season games to go, they now face sides whom they've either already beaten or languish near the bottom of the ladder.
Now fifth, they trail only champions Penrith Panthers, Brisbane Broncos, Melbourne Storm and the Raiders, who they meet again on Friday.
Webster always insists he doesn't bother looking at competition standings, that the rapidly accruing wins won't mean anything until the end of the season.
"Everyone's saying we're not knocking over heavyweight teams," he said, "We've done it tonight.
"I don't look at the ladder, I just look at teams like Parra, North Queensland… those sides. They're really good sides - [we've beaten] Cronulla twice now.
"I'm proud of that. Regardless of who we play each week, we just want to win.
"Where they're ranked or where they come, it doesn't matter. I just feel like we've beaten some really good sides that we haven't been given enough credit for.
"Everyone's so obsessed with where everyone sits on the ladder, as opposed to where they're going to be at the end or where they've been before."
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