With Taine Tuaupiki a threat on the right edge and setting up two tries himself, Johnson continually found ways to chip in.

He grubber-kicked early for one of Watene-Zelezniak’s three tries, giving the flying winger room to run onto the ball and score.

Johnson also nailed two kicks from the sideline, helping give the Warriors a 26-22 advantage with 13 minutes to play.

And when the fairytale finish looked dead after Sam Stonestreet put the Sharks back ahead with nine minutes to play, Johnson refused to give up.

A Sharks error offered the Warriors one last attacking opportunity, before Johnson touched the ball on almost every play of the set for the visitors.

Eventually he came up with the decisive one for Watene-Zelezniak’s third, capping off a magical career.

“Far out,” Johnson said in an on-field presentation. “I know we carried on a bit tonight, but this is my last game so we’re allowed to carry on.”

For Cronulla, this loss could prove costly.

There were good signs for their attack in Nicho Hynes’ return game from a fractured ankle, with Braydon Trindall keeping control of the attack.

Playing predominantly at first receiver, Trindall played a role in the Sharks’ first two tries with perfectly timed passes for Teig Wilton and Kayal Iro.

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With the pressure off Hynes, he was also able to send Tom Hazleton over for a four-pointer as the Sharks crossed three times in a five-minute period before the break.

And it was Trindall who was again influential late, helping Will Kennedy put Stonestreet over late before nailing a crucial conversion from the sideline.

But ultimately the Johnson magic won out, meaning Cronulla are now likely to have to head to Melbourne to face the minor premiers in the first week of the finals.