The Warriors have powered home with three tries in the last six minutes to demolish the Bulldogs 42-18 at Mt Smart Stadium on Friday night.
With Tohu Harris and Addin Fonua-Blake turning on the power and Shaun Johnson turning back the clock, the Warriors sent the parochial Auckland crowd home happy with the seven-tries-to-three win.
The Warriors opened the scoring after seven minutes when Johnson put centre Viliami Vailea into a huge hole and the youngster celebrated his return from a broken jaw with a try.
Just four minutes later the home side were in again when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak intercepted a Matt Burton pass and raced 85 metres to post his eighth try of the season. Reece Walsh's conversion made it 12-0.
The Bulldogs were able to strike back in the 17th minute when Burton was cut down a metre short and a quick play-the-ball gave Jake Averillo the chance to power over from close range.
An error in the first set after points by the Bulldogs handed the Warriors field position and Edward Kosi made them pay when he finished off slick lead-up by Johnson and Walsh.
The Bulldogs struck first after the break when Walsh spilled a ball metres from his own tryline and Kyle Flanagan picked up the scraps to post his third try of the season. Burton's conversion cut the margin to six.
Euan Aitken looked to have extended the Warriors' lead in the 49th minute when he held off three defenders and reached out to plant the ball but replays showed he had lost control.
Just two minutes later the Bulldogs drew level when Josh Addo-Carr picked off a Johnson pass and sprinted 90 metres to score but the Warriors continued to mount pressure and crossed for their fourth try through Eliesa Katoa in the 57th minute to lead 24-18.
With 12 minutes to play the Warriors looked to have extended their lead when Freddy Lussick found Josh Curran after collecting a Johnson bomb but replays showed a knock on by Watene-Zelezniak in the leap.
Fittingly it was one of the Warriors' favourite sons Johnson who put the game out of reach with a trademark solo try in the 75th minute and Stacey Jones' men were home at 30-18.
Kosi then finished off slick lead-up work by Reece Walsh to complete his double and the score had blown out to 36-18.
Fonua-Blake capped a superb game when he grabbed his first try of the season to round out a big win.
Match Snapshot
- Bulldogs centre Braidon Burns was placed on report in the seventh minute after a late challenge on Warriors kicker Daejarn Asi.
- Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton went on report in the 35th minute for a shoulder charge.
- Addin Fonua-Blake put in an outstanding 33-minute stint to start the game for the Warriors with 104 metres from nine runs.
- Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr has scored 16 tries in his past 15 games.
- Warriors winger Edward Kosi has scored seven tries in his past four games.
- Dallin Watene-Zelezniak wound back the clock with a long-range try and 208 running metres for the Warriors.
- The Warriors racked up 37 tackle breaks to the Bulldogs' 17.
- Tohu Harris made 223 metres for the Warriors and racked up 33 tackles for good measure.
- Shaun Johnson was in everything for the home side with two try assists, two line break assists and a line break.
- The Bulldogs have not won at Mt Smart Stadium since 2012.
Source: NRL.com