Warriors

Warriors football general manager Brian Smith is strongly considering promoting a young half already on the Kiwi outfit's books or converting the versatile back Peta Hiku to partner Blake Green in 2019.

That would leave more than $1 million of salary-cap money to spend elsewhere, with the pack a prime target for improvement.

Smith told stuff.co.nz that Johnson's departure to a three-year deal with Cronulla handed Warriors management a chance to dissect the state of their roster.

He said they weren't pursuing any halves elsewhere in the NRL.

Last month it was revealed the Warriors told their star player he could test his value on the free market, indicating they weren't willing to re-sign him.

Johnson took to social media Monday afternoon to "clear up" his situation.

He said at this stage there's no contract for him to sign beyond 2019 and that he's already approached some rugby league clubs in Australia to pique their interest.

Former Kelston Boys' High School first XV mentor Athens Henare regards himself as fortunate to have overseen the only season of rugby union played by the former teenage prodigy.

It was rugby league until then, and straight into the Warriors junior programme afterwards.

But for one memorable year, in 2011, Fusitu'a played the 15-man code.

The motivation was simply to have fun with his close friends after five years together at the west Auckland school.

The result?

Blaring music and simulated crowd noise was the backdrop on Tuesday as the Warriors prepared for the atmosphere they expect against Penrith at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.

Fit-again five-eighth Green introduced the idea, believing the Warriors need a reminder of what awaits in the play-offs, seven years after their last post- season experience.

"It's just a lot louder when you play finals footy. It was just something I thought would be of benefit," he said.

He becomes the inaugural winner of the Simon Mannering Medal, announced in honour of the retiring club legend who made his 300th NRL appearance on Friday night.

Tuivasa-Sheck is just the fourth player to win the supreme accolade more than once following five-times winner Simon Mannering and Steve Price and Ben Matulino, who were two-time winners.

The fullback also collected the People's Choice Award voted on by the public.

A hat-trick to David Fusitu'a and masterful display from Shaun Johnson laid the foundations of a memorable win which ensures the Kiwi club enters the post- season for the first time since 2011.

Hot and cold performances over the last two months left the Warriors' fate on tenterhooks for an extended period but the Panthers never threatened to halt the party for 17,195 supporters.

A second successive loss under caretaker coach Cameron Ciraldo drops the Panthers from fifth to sixth and drives a dagger through their top-four hopes.

Relief will descend on Mt Smart Stadium if the eight-placed Kiwi outfit can see off Penrith Friday night, booking their first post-season campaign since 2011.

Lose and they could face a nerve-wracking final-round match against Canberra, presuming the ninth-placed Wests Tigers have kept themselves in contention by beating Manly on Thursday.

A run of yo-yo performances have stopped the Warriors from sealing the deal, including last week's dramatic 27-26 loss to Canterbury.

Red-hot fullback Tuivasa-Sheck is pointing to last month's embarrassing 36-12 loss to the Gold Coast Titans as the wake-up he and his team needed.

The seventh-placed Kiwi club have since outplayed St George Illawarra and Newcastle to all-but book a finals berth.

At the forefront has been Tuivasa-Sheck, returning the football in devastating fashion.

Every defender beaten and metre chewed up is based on a more narrowed approach, he says, with the 25-year-old now realising he had spent too much energy on what he thought a captain should be doing.

Fusitu'a is now set to become the eighth Warriors player to clock up a decade of service.

The 23-year-old wing, who debuted as a teenager in 2014, has scored 47 tries in 75 games for the Warriors.

He is currently fourth on the NRL try scoring lists with 15 tries in 18 matches this season.

Coach Stephen Kearney said it had been a priority to retain the powerfully built player, who has played in the centres and at fullback for the club before settling on the right flank.

The Warriors have defeated James' former franchise the Cleveland Cavaliers in each of the past two NBA Finals, securing a dominant 4-0 clean sweep earlier this year.

Wednesday saw the release of the schedule for the 2018-19 season, which includes several nationally televised games on December 25.

Those include a showdown between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, which will pit Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons against Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum.