Saturday at 6pm (NZ time), NZ Warriors will face defending champions Penrith Panthers at BlueBet Stadium in the opening round of the NRL playoffs.
With only a couple of games remaining in the competition's regular season, the teams to contest the post-season are decided, with just some slight movement within the eight possible.
With eight of their stars rested, the Warriors' 34-10 loss to the Dolphins saw them locked into fourth spot, with the promise of a home playoff somewhere down the line.
Their first-up opponents were decided, when Penrith accounted for North Queensland Cowboys 44-12 to seal the minor premiership crown - their third in the past four years - on a countback from Brisbane Broncos.
Wingers Brian To'o and Sunia Turuva had try doubles, and the Panthers made no race of their encounter with the Cowboys, ahead 26-0 at halftime. NZ Kiwis forward Griffin Neame scored a try for North Queensland.
Warriors will now travel to BlueBet Stadium for a showdown with former coach Ivan Cleary, who last lead the Auckland club to the NRL Grand Final in 2011.
For rookie coach Andrew Webster, the draw will take him back to the club he helped guide to success as an assistant, before shifting across the Tasman this year.
"Great performance by Webby and the Warriors," said Cleary. "The Warriors... it's fantastic to see, great for the game, but we're not going to be friends next week."
Son Nathan Cleary grew up on the sidelines at Mt Smart Stadium, where his dad played and coached for the Warriors.
"They've been really impressive this whole year," he said. "They've found their style and stuck to it.
"They've got a lot of players on their team that are playing really well, like Shaun Johnson and Tohu Harris, so it's a very tough opposition, but something we're looking forward to.
"You get to a top-four match-up and it's always going to be tough. They very much deserve to be there."
The Warriors lost to Penrith 18-6 during the regular season - the third straight defeat in a brutal three-game run that saw them pitted against Melbourne Storm (on Anzac Day), Sydney Roosters and the Panthers over 11 days.
The Cowboys loss means the Roosters and Canberra Raiders are safely into the playoff eight, although the Raiders can still climb as high as sixth, with victory over Cronulla Sharks.
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