With a Broncos side determined to farewell Darren Lockyer in fitting style lying in wait at what is sure to be a packed out Suncorp Stadium, the Warriors will need to be ready.
The last game between the two clubs was a classic in round 22, with a Peter Wallace field goal proving the difference after Shaun Johnson and Kevin Locke had scored wonder tries for the Warriors. The lessons learned in that defeat would be crucial on Saturday, Cleary said.
"Just going up there a few weeks ago is probably not a bad thing. We've got our routine down pat. Obviously it was a very close game. It's a great place to play footy and something everybody will look forward to."
Last year's cruel playoff exit - when they finished fifth but were eliminated after losing to Gold Coast when the Raiders and Roosters pulled off shock victories - would ensure nothing was left in the tank this time around, said veteran Lance Hohaia.
"Hopefully we have learned our lesson there," he said. "Last year was disappointing for all of us. We finished fifth and were probably pretty satisfied with that and thought we'd probably get another crack at the cherry if we did lose. This year if we lose we are out probably. It's sudden death really and that is how we have to be thinking."
The sudden-death element may be more than theoretical. A win from either the seventh or eighth qualifier coupled with a Warriors defeat would send them out at the first hurdle once again. However, with teams re-seeded after the opening playoff round, the prize for a Warriors victory will be a home final at Mt Smart the next week against a club coming off a loss.
That's the route the Warriors took in 2008 when they beat Melbourne in the opening week and then the Roosters at home in round two to come within a game of the grand final.
"That's how the McIntyre system works - you have to win, it is all about winning," Cleary said. "If we are good enough we will get a result."
Saturday night's performance suggests the Warriors may be good enough. A Cowboys side bristling with attacking talent couldn't dent the Warriors' line, while they dominated territory and field position throughout to grind out a victory that had finals footy stamped all over it.
"They threw plenty at us and we defended really well," Hohaia said. "We'll take confidence out of that.
"That is what it is going to take to win the comp. Every game from now until we finish is going to be like that."
The victory marked the last regular season home game for Cleary and Hohaia. While Hohaia pressed plenty of flesh and posed for photographs outside the team's changing rooms after the match, Cleary felt the time for reflection had not yet arrived.
"I don't want to pre-empt anything but I really think we are a chance to come back," he said. "I guess that is the way you've got to think. As I always have, I'm just enjoying the moment. I've always loved Mt Smart and [Saturday night] felt like the real Mt Smart - cold, a bit of rain and a big crowd. It was good to be able to play well in front of that crowd."
That crowd is likely to be topped if the Warriors do return in a fortnight.
