The Warriors will take on the premiership-winning Manly Sea Eagles in a grand final rematch in the opening round of their 2012 NRL campaign at Eden Park next March.
Almost exactly five months after losing 10-24 to Manly in the 2011 decider at ANZ Stadium, the NRL has confirmed the grand finalists will provide one of the feature attractions of the first round of the 2012 season from March 1-5.
The date for the match is yet to be set but, after attracting a crowd of more than 38,000 for this year's `Battle of Eden' against Parramatta at Eden Park, the Warriors are hoping for another huge turnout to kick off their first season under new head coach Brian McClennan.
"It's going to be a massive occasion for Brian, for the club and for the NRL as a whole,'' said Warriors' chief executive Wayne Scurrah.
"Our first visit to Eden Park this year not only broke tradition but it was a significant success for us on a number of levels.
"With a rematch against Manly, we couldn't hope for a better match-up to start the 2012 season. The rugby World Cup showcased Eden Park as the country's biggest and best venue and we're looking forward to Warriors members and all sports fans getting in behind the Warriors for our Eden Park visit again next year.''
Billed as `Get Even at Eden _ The Grand Final Rematch', the contest will not only coincide with McClennan's NRL coaching debut but it's also set to be a first for major off-season signing hooker Nathan Friend as he builds towards his NRL debut for his new club.
"For our members and fans it will be the first time to see our NRL and NYC teams since the last regular season home games this year against North Queensland,'' said McClennan.
"For the next month the teams were on the road going all the way to their grand finals. This is going to be a great opportunity for everyone to see their teams again at last and to mark the start of the new season.
"We'd really encourage everyone to make plans now to be there.''
After opening their season against the Sea Eagles, the Warriors hit the road for the first time against familiar early-season opponent Parramatta. Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney will head into his second season with the Eels with a squad boosted by a number of signings, not least the former South Sydney halfback Chris Sandow.
The Warriors' first games scheduled for Mount Smart Stadium will come on successive weekends when they host the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on the weekend of March 16-19 and then the Gold Coast Titans (March 23-26). Back-to-back away games come next against the Sydney Roosters and Canberra.
A stand-alone weekend has been scheduled for April 20-22 for the Anzac Test followed by the now traditional Anzac Day match against the Storm in Melbourne (a Wednesday).
The Warriors will face former coach Ivan Cleary's Penrith Panthers twice, the first away in round 14 (June 8-11) and the second at home in round 24 (August 17-20).
Apart from an away trip to Canberra, the Warriors also have away fixtures against North Queensland and St George Illawarra but avoid an away game against the Wayne Bennett-coached Newcastle Knights.
The teams they face home and away are Manly, Gold Coast, Sydney Roosters, Canberra, Melbourne, Penrith, Cronulla, North Queensland and Brisbane while the six they encounter only once are Parramatta (away), Canterbury-Bankstown (home) and South Sydney (home) plus 2011 top eight sides Wests Tigers (away), Newcastle (home) and St George Illawarra (away).
As well as beginning the season at home, the Warriors finish at Mount Smart Stadium when they face the Raiders on the weekend of August 31-September 2.
Another standout feature of the draw sees the season kicking off in Newcastle on Thursday, March 1 with Bennett against his former club St George Illawarra.