Warriors fullback Kevin Locke has revealed how a week spent watching replays of Melbourne superstar Billy Slater terrorising Penrith inspired his own demolition job on the Panthers.

Locke was "Slater-esque" as he carried the surging Warriors into fourth spot on the NRL ladder with a 26-12 win over Penrith on Saturday night, a home final within touching distance with two rounds remaining.

Should they clinch a top four finish, the Warriors could be a tough prospect come September, especially as it would leave them in the box seat to also host a game in either week two or three of the finals.

And central to any premiership hopes will be Locke, coach Ivan Cleary hailing his performance against the Panthers in which he scored one try, set up another, and chased down a runaway Michael Jennings to deny the Panthers early in the second half.

"It was probably his best game I reckon, away from home as well," Cleary said.

"He's come a long way Kevin, if he keeps going like that things will be good for him but it's his challenge now to back that up next week away from home again down there at Wollongong (against St George Illawarra).

"It's his third year of NRL now, so he's learnt a few things along the way - his preparation and what he puts into his performance is much better than it used to be."

Part of that preparation included studying the performances of Slater, widely acknowledged as the best No.1 in the game.

With speed, footwork and brilliant handling, Locke is blessed with the natural attributes to make a fist of mimicking the Storm maestro.

His effort to reel in a chip kick while sliding on the ground before getting to his feet and running 60 metres untouched on the stroke of halftime for a 16-0 lead could easily have been on a Slater highlight reel had the protagonist been wearing purple instead of white.

"Ivan mentioned to me during the week just to watch how Billy played against Penrith and what he does and I just took that into the game," Locke said.

"Watching someone like that, I wouldn't have thought of that, I get a bit lazy at times but watching Billy just inspired me to be like him.

"I spoke to Ivan before the game and he said it was a very important game and he just built up my confidence."

Confidence is one thing, but it alone doesn't explain his freakish ability to clean up rolling balls or make something out of nothing.

"I try a lot of it at training, I love sliding around in the wet," Locke said.

"I was a bit lucky with that try when they chipped it over the top and I happened to dive on it and scoop it up - most of it's luck.

"My main thing is just trying to get involved and add value to the team."

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