The Warriors once again defied injuries to several key stars to down the Dolphins 24-20 in Auckland on Sunday.
With 10 of their regular first-graders watching from the sideline, fill-in halfback Te Maire Martin steered his side from behind to steal an emphatic victory in front of a packed out Go Media Stadium.
An error from Edward Kosi gave the Warriors early field position and the Dolphins capitalised in just the fourth minute with Kodi Nikorima sending a sweet pass over for Jamayne Isaako to dive over in the right corner for the opening try.
The Dolphins had a second in the 16th minute when Herbie Farnworth picked up a loose Euan Aitken offload before stepping inside several Warriors defenders to score.
The Warriors hit back just five minutes later when Marcelo Montoya beat Dolphins defenders to a Martin bomb before finding Chanel Harris-Tavita on the inside to score.
A see-sawing battle then began to play out when Farnworth split the defence and exploded into space before finding Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in support who finished off the long range try. Isaako converted for a 16-6 lead.
Martin got one back for the Warriors seven minutes before the break, showcasing his speed and footwork to dummy his way through defenders and reduce the deficit 16-12 before the break.
The second half developed into an arm wrestle with both sides trading punches before the Warriors hit the front 27 minutes into the half when fill-in fullback Dallin Watene-Zelezniak crashed through after repeated sets on the line.
With the weight of possession going their way late in the half the Warriors went further ahead with just 13 minutes left to play with Marata Niukore crashing through several would-be tacklers to put his side in front by eight.
Come the 26th minute and Isaako bagged a double in the right corner to set up a grandstand finish, but the Warriors defence held firm and Andrew Webster’s men skipped out to their fifth victory for the season.
