The Warriors are treading carefully around the emotion surrounding the final home games of three club stalwarts this Sunday.
Long-time servants Ruben Wiki, Logan Swann and Wairangi Koopu, who have played a colossal 431 Warriors games between them, will all make their final bow at Mt Smart Stadium against the Panthers.
But while the club is mindful of providing the trio with a fitting tribute before their departure, they are more concerned about ensuring their careers don't end in round 26.
A win keeps the 10th-placed Warriors' top-eight destiny in their own hands heading into round 26's trip to Parramatta while a loss would leave a nasty hangover from the Mt Smart party that they would struggle to recover from.
"It'll certainly have an emotional side of it," Warriors captain Steve Price said.
"I'd be disappointed if players felt they had to play better because of the situation but those little things do play a little role in the back of players' mind and it can be the difference between an outstanding performance and a good performance."
That was demonstrated earlier in the year when Wiki's 300th NRL appearance inspired the previously listless Warriors to a run of six wins from seven, while they also found out how it feels to be on the receiving end last Sunday.
With the likes of Mark Gasnier, Jason Ryles, Josh Morris and coach Nathan Brown appearing before the Dragons faithful for the last time, they turned it on in style to dispatch the Warriors 34-6.
"They had a couple of guys who were playing their last home game and they were the best players on the field," Price said.
"If we've got three blokes who are the best players on the field this week that'll play right down the path of us."
It's around this time of the season that the old 'must-win' chestnut gets dusted off, especially to describe the Warriors with their poor points differential likely to require them to win their last two to reach 30 competition points.
However, it's not a phrase that will be in any of Price's team talks.
"I think it's quite obvious - you don't have to talk about it. I'd be disappointed if guys don't go out to win every game.
"It doesn't always happen for you but you want to put yourself in the best possible position and that's through preparation to be in the best position to win a game.
"There's a lot of things that happen during a game that will ultimately be the difference in whether you win or lose but all we've got to do is go into the game with a really enthusiastic attitude and try our roles as best we can."
Long-time servants Ruben Wiki, Logan Swann and Wairangi Koopu, who have played a colossal 431 Warriors games between them, will all make their final bow at Mt Smart Stadium against the Panthers.
But while the club is mindful of providing the trio with a fitting tribute before their departure, they are more concerned about ensuring their careers don't end in round 26.
A win keeps the 10th-placed Warriors' top-eight destiny in their own hands heading into round 26's trip to Parramatta while a loss would leave a nasty hangover from the Mt Smart party that they would struggle to recover from.
"It'll certainly have an emotional side of it," Warriors captain Steve Price said.
"I'd be disappointed if players felt they had to play better because of the situation but those little things do play a little role in the back of players' mind and it can be the difference between an outstanding performance and a good performance."
That was demonstrated earlier in the year when Wiki's 300th NRL appearance inspired the previously listless Warriors to a run of six wins from seven, while they also found out how it feels to be on the receiving end last Sunday.
With the likes of Mark Gasnier, Jason Ryles, Josh Morris and coach Nathan Brown appearing before the Dragons faithful for the last time, they turned it on in style to dispatch the Warriors 34-6.
"They had a couple of guys who were playing their last home game and they were the best players on the field," Price said.
"If we've got three blokes who are the best players on the field this week that'll play right down the path of us."
It's around this time of the season that the old 'must-win' chestnut gets dusted off, especially to describe the Warriors with their poor points differential likely to require them to win their last two to reach 30 competition points.
However, it's not a phrase that will be in any of Price's team talks.
"I think it's quite obvious - you don't have to talk about it. I'd be disappointed if guys don't go out to win every game.
"It doesn't always happen for you but you want to put yourself in the best possible position and that's through preparation to be in the best position to win a game.
"There's a lot of things that happen during a game that will ultimately be the difference in whether you win or lose but all we've got to do is go into the game with a really enthusiastic attitude and try our roles as best we can."
