When it comes to his taste in movies, Warriors coach Andrew Webster says he typically gravitates towards underdog stories.
He'll have a golden opportunity to script one of his own this weekend, when his team enter the cauldron at BlueBet Stadium to face the defending champion Penrith Panthers in the team's long-awaited return to the NRL finals.
But despite the Warriors' well publicised revival in 2023, pundits and bookies alike are giving them minimal chance to emerge with their hands raised in western Sydney.
As far as Webster's is concerned, the situation is ideal.
"The pressure is on them," Webster said.
"We just want to go after the challenge. We respect them. They've been the champions for a long time now.But we're confident in our own game.
"We're not going there saying 'let's come up with a million trick plays to try and beat this team'. We're going there saying 'let's play our style of football, let's do what we know we trust and let's do it to the best of our ability'."
"As much as we respect the opposition, we've got a lot of faith in ourselves."
That self-confidence has been a product of a process that began in the early stages of the pre-season, when Webster asked his new group of players to evaluate their own expectations of what they were capable of as a unit, looking to turn the page collectively on an abysmal 2022.
The result - the highest finish by a Warriors team (fourth) in 21 years and first finals fixture since 2018.
It's a turnaround that has arguably made Webster and the Warriors the most popular figure and team in NZ sport respectively at the moment, which is saying a lot considering the All Blacks are just days away from embarking on a Rugby World Cup campaign in France.
"I promised the boys that if we did enough reps, if we worked hard enough, the belief would grow and then when the belief had grown, you'd be like 'well maybe we can achieve whatever we want."
"Day one, I don't think anyone had any expectation (of a top-four finish). I said 'you watch when you get confident that you'll focus and what you think can happen will change'."
Webster is no stranger to the big stage. He joined the Warriors this year for his first head coaching gig off the back of winning consecutive premierships as an assistant with none other than their opponents this weekend - the Panthers.
One of the biggest lessons Webster says he learned under Penrith head coach Ivan Cleary regarding the approach to finals football is the importance of sticking with the formula that got you there in the first place - not trying to reinvent the wheel and staying true to your identity as a team, just at a different level of intensity.
"Finals isn't the same as any club game but what you practice that week is," he noted.
"The mentality around finals football is you've got to put the ball in the corners and you've got to make sure you're not the first to break.
"The intensity is going to be harder and the boys know that and they're prepared for that."
And having been through such a journey with the Panthers, Webster likely has a valuable perspective on what may be happening behind the scenes, as Cleary plots to take down his former charge and good mate.
That experience has Webster priming his troops to expect the unexpected from the Panthers, especially in regard to their offence.
For as impressive as the back-to-back premiers are, Webster believes he's identified some areas of weakness ripe for exploitation - something all teams, regardless of their class, possess.
"With their attack in big games, they always like to throw something at you that you haven't seen," Webster explains.
"We just back our principles and awareness around that. Something will come, but what it is - we don't know. But we'll have to be on our toes for it.
"Not one team in the world is perfect. Whilst they are very good, we've identified some things we think we can have a crack at.
"Those things have to suit our style and we believe they do."
The teams have met once previously this season, with the Panthers prevailing 18-6 on neutral territory in Brisbane during the magic round in May in what was a highly competitive contest.
The Warriors leave via chartered plane to Sydney on Thursday for the final stages of their preparations.
And conscious of the occasion, Webster has urged his players to soak up the moment - with the caveat not to get lost in the moment to the extent they aren't able to reproduce the brand of high quality rugby league that has seen them become the fairytale story of the competition this year.
"It's huge. Everyone's excited - the players, the staff, the fans. It's a good feeling.
"We've spoken a lot about getting there and then not doing what we want to do.
"There's a real excitement but there's also a real focus and determination to play our best football and then watch the results from there.
"This is where every team wants to be - in the finals. The biggest test on the biggest stage.
"It's not easy. It's the hardest competition in the world and so far we're in the top four teams."
Join Newshub at 6pm Saturday for live updates of the Warriors v Panthers NRL playoff clash
