Saints 26 Bradford Bulls 22 - Saints Hold On - For Now

That was exciting. A little too exciting, maybe. 

It's not as if we weren't warned that Bradford Bulls would be competitive in Super League. Our club owner told us so, prematurely declaring that the decision to expand to 14 teams has been vindicated by the start made by Bradford, York and Toulouse. All have won two of their first four games in the top flight. 

But I think Mr McManus has gone a little bit early on this one. Let's see where those clubs are at the end of the season. By then injuries, suspensions and the sheer volume of higher intensity games than they've been used to are likely to have taken effect. For now, his view is supported by the events of this one.

If our players had seen the montage of 1996 highlights on the big screen before the game it may have inspired a stronger performance. To my mind watching Keiron Cunningham ruin the league, Danny Arnold scoring a Good Friday hat-trick and Tommy Martyn, Bobbie Goulding, Alan Hunte and Anthony Sullivan working their magic was a lot more entertaining than the lights show which preceded the last home game.

It's 30 years since that team clinched the inaugural Super League crown. It was a first title since 1975 and therefore a first during my lifetime. It followed on from a first Challenge Cup win since 1976. Bradford were the Wembley opponents in that 1996 final, an absolute epic in which Saints came back from a 14-point deficit to triumph. They came back out of a 12-point hole in this one but somehow it didn't quite have the same vibe. 

We may look like that side with the retro shirt, but Saints' 2026  side is still very much a work in progress. Fortunately this vintage operates within different parameters. In 1996 we won the league by a single point. There's no need to finish top now. Head coach Paul Rowley just has to steer the ship into the top six to keep the Grand Final dream alive. But after the last two seasons of relative mediocrity and a mixed start to this campaign it remains a dream for now.

What we can say about this side is that it has a different intent than the one led previously by Paul Wellens or even those of Kristian Woolf before him. Rowley is not so wedded to the modern conservatism that is eating the game alive. Perceived wisdom says that if you receive the opening kickoff you get through your set and boot the ball down the field. Flip the field position. 

So it was a surprise to see Saints shift the ball out to the right edge on the very first play. The problem was that when he received the ball in a bit of space Kyle Feldt didn't have anything like the pace to get around his opposite number Ethan Ryan. He's just not that sort of winger, but to be fair to him not many around the league are these days because of that tactical shift. 

I was going to call it evolution but that implies progress. It's regression for me even if it's successful. I just don't want to win that way. The game is screaming for a champion team to emerge playing flair rugby. Then others will copy. Why can't that be Saints? It may take a little time but at least we'll be entertained if we fall short. 

Snippets like the opening play here seem to suggest that Rowley gets it. That he's also sick of five drives and a kick. And even if shifting it didn't produce the spectacular on this occasion it had the Bulls scrambling early when they would ordinarily expect to only have to defend the middle of the field. 

Not to pick on him, but Feldt was also a little slow to react to Rowan Milnes' kick in behind the defence which opened Bradford's try scoring account. By then Saints were already on the board through Shane Wright's second try in as many games and his fourth in just his eighth appearance for the club. Another assist for Jackson Hastings. Although George Whitby made a surprise return to the starting 13, as Harry Robertson was sent back to the bench, Hastings remained the dominant half.  

This was one of Whitby's more anonymous performances. But that isn't necessarily a criticism. In his previous appearances he's had the onus placed on him to lead the team around the park. That responsibility currently falls on Hastings. So far we have seen little evidence of Whitby as a running 6 or 7 able to work off a lead half in the way that Sean Long did when he arrived to find Bobbie Goulding still entrenched at 7. 

It's still valuable experience for the youngster even if it's hard to make the case that it should happen at the expense of Robertson's game time. At this point it's still more plausible to me that Robertson becomes a star of the league than it is Whitby. Robertson is already on his way there, with comparisons to Jack Welsby not outrageous. Like Welsby before him, Robertson has handled every first team challenge thrown at him, encompassing a number of different roles. He's a keeper. Whitby is still a maybe.

Last week I asked for more from David Klemmer and we got it. The former Newcastle Knights man rather trundles in with the ball but he did so to the tune of 125 metres. That was so important in the context of the absence of Alex Walmsley who has a foot injury. Daryl Clark was the only other Saints forward to break 100 metres but the real problem up front is a deepening injury crisis. The word is that it's so bad that we may have to recall Agnatius Paasi from his loan at Salford. 

Alongside Walmsley and skipper Matty Lees, Saints have now lost Jacob Host and George Delaney. Host has suffered a broken leg in what looked suspiciously like a disgraceful hip drop by Loghan Lewis. The former South Sydney Rabbitohs man has been generally used for impact off the bench but now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Lewis will serve a two-game suspension. 

There are psychological challenges to that when you have flown half the way around the world to do a job that you suddenly won't be able to. That's before you start worrying about the hard yards involved with rehab. I am sure he will get the full support of the club and that we will see him in a Saints shirt again soon. In the meantime it must be especially galling to be placed in that situation by the recklessness of a fellow professional. You could tell all was not well when you saw him tapping his foot on the turf in what looked a mixture of agony and frustration. It was a sad moment.

The one knock on Klemmer concerned a loss of discipline. A quarter of the way into proceedings he was invited to take a 10-minute rest after hitting Bulls hooker Andy Ackers in the head with a shoulder. Video referee Tom Grant saw it as nothing more than a yellow which was perhaps fortunate, particularly in the context of the growing injury list in the pack. That crisis isn't helped by a two-game suspension for Joe Shorrocks. Step forward Agnatius.

Shorrocks was yellow carded for an horrific cannonball tackle on Ed Chamberlain. The Bulls back rower was already held up by two Saints defenders when Shorrocks decided to pad his tackling stats by joining in as third man. Only he did so with a reckless cannonball tackle which I would rather Mr Shorrocks didn't bring here from his grubby rugby league education at Wigan. 

But that happened late in the game. The immediate aftermath of Klemmer's indiscretion cost eight points on the scoreboard. First Milnes converted the resultant penalty and then Connor Wynne got over for the first of his two tries on the night. As the ball was shifted left to right by the Bulls Saints just ran out of numbers to defend with. It was a quick illustration of the potential cost of ill discipline. 

Unfortunately it isn't just the pack where injuries are having an effect. We were already without Welsby and Jonny Lomax so losing Nene McDonald after barely 20 minutes didn't help. Even if it did grant my wish of getting Robertson off the bench and on to the field. That's not the way I would have chosen for it to happen. It's not the first time McDonald has started but failed to finish a game in his early Saints career. 

Is this repeated bad luck or - as seems more likely - is there an underlying issue which keeps making an unwanted appearance? I am inclined to suggest that if he isn't fit then he shouldn't be risked. He has a connection with Rowley from Salford, so it is easy to see why the coach has such belief in him. 

But from a Saints perspective he's yet to make himself indispensable. Especially now that Robertson, Deon Cross, Owen Dagnall and Mark Percival offer depth at centre. Although it's not impossible that the latter may be needed in the back row next week. The new Kallum Watkins, strike centre turned workhorse. 

Percival looked on his way out a week ago - with Huddersfield favourites to sign him - but now he has a deal to keep him at Saints until the end of 2027. He was in the 21 for this one but missed out on the match-day 17. Which makes you wonder how fit he is.

Matt Whitley can certainly expect more game time in the back row at Castleford in the cup next week. Certainly more than the 11 minutes he was afforded here. Whatever your thoughts on the ex-Widnes man it's a head scratcher when you consider that we had lost Host and Delaney by this point as well as McDonald. Such was the chaos perhaps Rowley was trying to save interchanges for the back end of the game. 

I would argue that Whitley isn't someone who fatigues easily and needs to be protected. He could have played longer. But when you see your squad being decimated before your eyes perhaps over protection is understandable. There are things to think about beyond this game.

The incident which has robbed us of Delaney's presence next week arguably won us this game. The young prop was hit in the head by Bulls interchange forward Eliot Peposhi who - after a long deliberation from Grant - was issued with a straight red card. He could have little to complain about. If the Bulls are smart they'll accept his three-game ban and move on.

By then Saints were in the middle of a purple patch which felt almost like a dissociative experience when compared to the rest of the performance. They had slipped 16-4 behind, but hit back through Curtis Sironen and Tristan Sailor before Peposhi's discipline left him. With only 12 Bulls on the field Saints were able to create the space for Feldt to cross in the south east corner of the stadium. His 29th try in 23 Saints appearances. That's a Newlove-esque strike rate but I think most would agree that it has been achieved in a slightly different manner. But they all count. 

Then came Shorrocks' head loss. He was fortunate not to be sent off but with only 15 minutes left he was already missing a large chunk of what time remained. There have been suggestions that he was allowed to return early. I doubt any of us in the stands had the stopwatch on it so it will be interesting to see if anything further develops there.

Shorrocks' departure gave Kurt Haggerty's men new life. Andy Ackers fought his way over to put them back in front at 22-20. It fell to Cross to rescue his side, fighting his way over on the left. Even with Hastings' conversion the last few minutes were nervy. Saints held just a four-point lead at 26-22. They managed to hold on as Joe Mellor broke free but his speculative kick was swept up by Sailor.

The win leaves Saints fourth in the table as the Super League takes a break for next week's Challenge Cup action. Bradford slip out of the top four down to fifth, but can be relatively pleased. Both with the way they have started the campaign with a couple of wins from four outings and at having pushed Saints so hard at the Brewdog.

Looking at next week Noah Stephens has suddenly become an important figure. The youngster made his first appearance of the season here. He ripped off 94 metres and was named as player of the match by the sponsors. He will need to build on that form with Lees, Walmsley, Delaney, Host and Shorrocks now unavailable. Retaining Paasi for this season suggests they must be willing to use him when the need arises. The need has arisen. Jake Wingfield also looks certain to feature for the first time since August. 

Castleford have only won one from their first four but with the Saints pack so horrifically butchered it's not exactly a bye. 

It could be exciting. A little bit too exciting.

Saints v Bradford Bulls - The Bulls Awaken (a little bit)

It'll be just like old times as Bradford Bulls visit the Brewdog Stadium on Saturday night (March 7).

On the day Mario Goetze scored the only goal to help Germany beat Argentina in the World Cup final, the Bulls made their last league appearance at The Stadium Formerly Known As Langtree Park. They were sent packing following a 46-22 defeat. Recently departed head coach Paul Wellens scored two of his 231 tries for Saints. Tommy Makinson, Mark Percival, Adam Swift, Lance Hohaia, James Roby and Mose Masoe also crossed. 

It was also the last year that Super League had 14 teams. The Bulls and London Broncos were marooned at the bottom as it became evident that the player pool couldn't take the strain. Twelfth-placed Wakefield Trinity finished 11 points better off than the Bulls while the hapless Broncos only managed one league win all season. The player pool still isn't strong enough for 14 teams but we have gone and done it anyway. Hence the return of the Bulls to the top flight. I should make it clear that this has nothing to do with Nigel Wood being restored as RFL chairman in the offseason. Right? Right...?

In Bradford's previous incarnation as a successful Super League club they made serious waves. They won four of the first 10 Super League titles and faced Saints in two other Grand Finals and three Challenge Cup finals. These teams were sick of the sight of each other. Not having faced them for so long feels weird for anyone old enough to remember those late 90s-early 2000s battles. 

The two coaches have more recent history. Bulls head coach Kurt Haggerty assisted Saints boss Paul Rowley at Salford for four seasons. He was all set to take over from Rowley until the Red Devils endured a Bearings Bank level financial meltdown. Then the opportunity to take over the Bulls cropped up. His boyhood club. A giant that is not so much sleeping as utterly comatose. Although the son of Saints cult hero Roy Haggerty grew up within a spent firework's throw of this writer, it was Bullmania that caught his attention. 

Both teams will be fairly happy with how they have started 2026. Saints and the Bulls sit in the top four having won two of their three games so far. All of which has sparked much nostalgia with Bulls' peak-era powerhouses Leeds and Wigan also in that leading group. Haggerty's men have enjoyed victories over both French sides while going down 27-20 to Hull FC. 

Meanwhile Saints started with defeat at Warrington but have since earned wins over Leigh Leopards and Catalans Dragons. The Leigh win removed a monkey from Saints' back. They had failed to beat Adrian Lam's side in 2025. Meanwhile, the Dragons' current lineup isn't the best we've ever seen but any time you can leave Perpignan with a 32-point margin of victory it's a satisfying outcome. 

Two wins out of three is a respectable but not awe inspiring start for Saints. After the drudgery of the last two seasons - and with a new coach and an influx of new players - expectations have been revived. If they ever went away. The playoffs are a minimum requirement for the only club that has never missed them in the Super League era. But if Rowley's side scrape in it will be viewed as stagnation. More of what we have seen the last two years. That's why beating Leigh feels significant even this early in the season. It's progress but it's essential that it's built on. You sense there's a hunger and a will to do that. But saying it, wanting it and doing it are all different things.

The mission isn't helped by some early season injury concerns. Captain Matty Lees has been out since sustaining a knee injury at Workington, Jack Welsby didn't finish the Super League opener at Warrington before dislocating his shoulder and Jonny Lomax fractured an arm in the early minutes of that home win over Leigh. Now you can add Alex Walmsley to the absentee list owing to a foot injury. The veteran prop was highly influential in breaking the stubborn resistance of the Dragons last week but we now won't see him for around six weeks.

Without Walmsley others will need to step up. George Delaney went very well at Catalans and may get a chance to shine from the start. David Klemmer is currently averaging around 73 metres per game and 22 tackles. Those aren't quite the numbers you'd expect from a former Kangaroo playing in a league constantly denigrated by everyone from Australian pundits to English NRL aficionados. Either Super League isn't as far away from the NRL as everyone says or the ex-Newcastle Knight needs a bit more time to acclimatise. 

Noah Stephens is at the opposite end of his career to Klemmer. Yes he's still a little raw but he should be getting an opportunity with Lees and Walmsley out and Agnatius Paasi shuttled out on loan to Salford this week. Paasi. The new Konrad Hurrell. Given a new deal to the almost audible head scratching of all and sundry, before being hidden away in the hope that we'll forget about this egregious profligacy. Jake Wingfield hasn't featured since August but is in contention again. But selecting him ahead of Stephens - if both are fully fit - would be regressive in my opinion. And would you put the house on Wingfield being fully fit anyway?

It seems insane to say it, but suddenly there is a surplus of options in the backs now that a new deal has been agreed for Mark Percival to stay. The highly decorated centre was apparently on the verge of joining Huddersfield Giants but will now be at his only club until at least the end of 2027. He's also fit enough to be in this week's squad. I'm not sure I would have taken the same decision on his future or that I would select him for this game. But Rowley just might.

If he does then someone has to make way. The leading candidate for me is Lewis Murphy. But it could be Deon Cross. Whoever misses, out the inclusion of Percival appears to push Owen Dagnall further away from a first team return. He'll still only be 22 by the end of Percival's new deal but it's easy to see his development stalling in the meantime. He's probably too good to be sitting around idly already. Another two seasons of that feels as wasteful as whatever chunk of cash has been spent keeping Paasi around. 

Harry Robertson and Nene McDonald feel like certain starters when fit. But with Welsby out one of them will have to operate at fullback. At present you would trust both more as runners in that position than as passing playmakers. Which increases the burden on Jackson Hastings and Tristan Sailor in the halves. 

A quick look at the Bulls squad shows a potential return to St Helens for Waqa Blake. The former Parramatta Eel had one of the most underwhelming spells of any NRL import when he spent 2024 with Saints. His inability to score a try on one infamous occasion at Leigh will live with many fans for a long time. But he's back with a new hairdo and a bit of form. He has four tries in his first three Super League outings with the Bulls. He managed 11 in 24 for Saints. But it wasn't that which disappointed. It was his often disinterested body language coupled with reports of his being...well...socially distracted. 

They may have been fast tracked back into the top flight but the Bulls are not just a collection of Championship level players. They have Super League experience in their ranks in Andy Ackers, Joe Mellor, Ed Chamberlain and Ethan Ryan among others. Ryan Sutton and Caleb Aekins both turned out for Canberra Raiders, while centre Esan Marsters has almost 100 NRL appearances across spells with three clubs.

This one might not match the intensity or quality of those early Super League and Challenge Cup meetings. Bradford aren't expected to compete at the top in their first season back in the big time. And anyway it's impossible to have a Wide To West moment in Round 4, or anything to match the out and out joy of Sean Long's 2002 Grand Final winning drop goal. 

But after 14 years it takes on a significance of its own.

Nightswimming - Saints Earn Their Badges - Catalans Dragons 4 Saints 36

Saints' 36-4 victory over Catalans Dragons was a bit like learning to swim. Devilishly difficult at first but quite straightforward after a sufficient helping of dogged perseverance.

A 32-point winning margin at that common obstacle - the difficult place to go - was something almost all of us would have taken before kickoff. But the route to that win was complicated for an hour. 

Saints led 6-0 for what seemed an interminable period. The action could best be described as attritional until then. Daryl Clark's first half try - set up by a dazzling link up between Jackson Hastings and Shane Wright - was the one moment of illumination.

But let's take it back. Prior to kickoff Saints' own Twitter feed published a team list which placed Nene McDonald at fullback and Harry Robertson at centre. Robertson was on the bench for last week's win over Leigh until Jonny Lomax got injured a few minutes in. 

His subsequent performance coupled with Lomax's continued absence was always going to see him restored to the starting lineup. But he had excelled at fullback. Surely he would be left to try to provide more of the same while natural centre McDonald stayed in his lane? 

Yes, actually. Whether the social media bods at Saints had got it wrong or head coach Paul Rowley was indulging in what sports media types call kidology, the pair lined up the other way around. George Whitby came in to the 17, starting on the bench in his first appearance since last July. That was largely due to Lomax's injury, helping add to Rowley's options in creative roles. But it also sent a signal to Whitby that the first team door is open once more. It appeared to be shut under Wellens and his apparent preference for the now departed Moses Mbye.

This was ugly for some time. If you had run into it at a nightclub at ten minutes to two on a Sunday in the 90s you might still have looked the other way. That early converted Daryl Clark try was all either side could muster in terms of points in the opening half. Shortly after half-time an arguably massive turning point unfolded. Former Saint Lewis Dodd - back from a year on Wayne Bennett's shit list at South Sydney Rabbitohs - waltzed around the defence only to drop the ball in the act of scoring.

With points at a premium, Saints' try in the next set marked Dodds error out as pivotal. This time the scorer was another former Rabbitohs man, Jacob Host. And Clark was again involved, hitting the back rower with a short pass close to the line and inviting him to do the rest. It wasn't the razzle dazzle we had been hoping for with the new regime, but the timing of it and the context of a low scoring game temporarily stunted those concerns.

Dragons coach Joel Tomkins has since accused his team of giving up. Harsh words perhaps, but the final quarter saw Saints score at a rate better than a point a minute. Alex Walmsley was absolutely central to this, coming into the action and finally providing some consistent go forward. Until then Wright had been carrying the load, although George Delaney went beyond 100 metres for the first time this season. It's an area where Saints have looked desperate for improvement so far in 2026. That improvement took its sweet time but it arrived in this one.

If Saints can dominate field position as they did in that final quarter it opens up new possibilities. The understanding between Hastings and Wright should flourish and we should see the best of Tristan Sailor at 6. When the Dragons' resistance broke in this one he racked up 194 running metres and looked far more dangerous. Attack is very much a work in progress at the moment but the first step is for the pack men to start winning rucks and getting the side in better positions.

Given his history it was fascinating to see how Dodd's performance compared with that of Hastings. We have already seen how Dodd's failure to score having created the opportunity swung momentum in Saints' favour. But it would be unfair to judge his performance purely on that. With 133 metres next to his name it's clear that Dodd took on the defensive line more than he ever did in his final season with Saints. His runs yielded three clean breaks, more than any player on either side. 

Seeing all that you would be forgiven for thinking that Hastings was outplayed by his opposite number. But that ignores how Hastings led the team around the field, constantly organising and bearing responsibility for almost all of the kicking game. Sailor was the only Saint other than Hastings who attempted a kick in general play, while six of Hastings' 19 efforts were with attacking intent. 

There were still a few examples of the uber negative. Handing over possession without a kick near the opponent's line is not this writer's bag but we at least saw some variation this week. And the decision on when to kick or not has likely been made by Rowley and not Hastings in any case. Hastings wasn't one of Saints' try scorers on the night but he did have an assist - putting Wright over after a break from Sailor had set up the position. 

At 18-0 we had reached the point at which Tomkins saw his team check out. Clark's second was followed by a quick double of his own by Kyle Feldt. The Australian winger isn't everyone's preferred hot beverage. You sense that there's a general feeling he could do more. Which reminds me of a barb hurled at me by my football argument adversaries during childhood, telling me that all Ian Rush did was score goals. What else do you need? 

Feldt has 28 tries in just 22 appearances for Saints. His first here was a slightly less graceful reenactment of the flying finish patented by his predecessor on Saints' right wing Tommy Makinson. His second was a skilful demonstration of how to leap, catch and ground in one silky movement.

Feldt has proved to be the master of the two-yard walk-in. The rugby league equivalent of a goal hanger. But here he showed his class and his continued dominance under a high ball which comes in very handy in both defence and attack. Though he might not look back too fondly on a berserk defensive read which led to the Dragons only score of the night through Charlie Staines when the score read 24-0.

A good night's work in the end, even if patience was required. The only blot was an injury to Curtis Sironen. The ex-Manly man is still vital for Saints' physical presence in the middle of the field. Especially with Matty Lees missing too. Fingers crossed Sironen is ready for the visit of Bradford Bulls this weekend. I know we're all dying to get another look at the fascinating human behavioural study that is Waqa Blake. 

It's a game we dare not lose at home to a newly fast tracked promoted side. There's a lot of excitement around the Bulls early on this year as victories over Catalans and Toulouse see them occupying a top four spot along with Wigan, Leeds and the now third placed Saints. It's enough to make you all nostalgic for the 2000s.

Perhaps now we've learned to swim we will start a little faster in that one.

Saints 20 Leigh Leopards 18: Hoodoo? What Hoodoo?

Joy or relief? You might have experienced a bit of both as Saints got their Super League 2026 show on the road with a 20-18 win over Leigh Leopards.

After the disappointment of defeat at Warrington in last week's opener there was a fair degree of anxiety coming into this one. Saints failed to beat Leigh throughout 2025 so a bounce back was far from a given. But a mixture of grit, skill and determination got Paul Rowley's men over the line.

Rowley had a surprise for us when it came to team selection. Harry Robertson has now made 37 appearances for Saints. Of the previous 36 only one saw him starting on the bench. That was a 34-4 defeat at Hull KR in May last year. Despite the absence of Jack Welsby with a dislocated shoulder Robertson was relegated to the interchanges again, with Jonny Lomax restored to a starting role in the halves.

We thought we'd seen the end of Lomax as a 6 or a 7. As great as his career has been the last couple of seasons have shown that he's no longer the man for the job. The injuries and the ageing process have blunted his abilities in that role. I can't have been the only one feeling nervous about how he would go in partnership with Jackson Hastings.

As it turned out fate intervened. Less than five minutes were on the clock when the veteran suffered an arm injury and left the scene. It has since been confirmed that he has fractured his arm. That could reduce selection options going forward but in this moment it's hard to argue that it didn't help. 

Robertson got an early introduction, taking over from Tristan Sailor at fullback while the ex-Brisbane Bronco moved alongside Hastings. It's unknowable, but there was a lot of chatter on the bridge heading back into town after the game about how we wouldn't have won had that tactical adjustment not been forced.

I thought so myself. But my belief was more about the introduction of Robertson than the exit of Lomax. The latter was missed and will be if he is out long term. But he'll be missed in his late career role as an alternative hooker and for his huge experience. Not for the pace and guile needed in the creative positions. 

The introduction of Robertson provided pace and guile and a fearlessness that this side craves in the post-Paul Wellens era. If we want to achieve something we have to take risks. Live closer to the edge. Lomax's selection felt safe and uninspiring. And we have seen those things fail us often enough. Much more than Lomax, Robertson signals threat to opposition defences. It forces them to recalibrate. 

In what was always a tense, close battle on the scoreboard some risk aversion frustratingly remained. Throughout the 2025 season Saints were rightly criticised for a poor kicking game. Poor is being kind. It was shambolic at times. In this one Rowley chose to partly address this problem by not allowing any attacking kicks close to the try line. Instead, with a narrow lead during a fraught last 20 minutes Saints continually ran on the last tackle. This turned the ball over close to the Leopards' line and asked them to go 95-100 metres against this still formidable Saints defence. 

It's defensible because it got the result. But one of the big reasons for the enthusiasm around the appointment of Rowley was the promise of entertaining rugby. This was Wattoball. And there's a reason Watto isn't currently coaching in Super League. My hope is that it was an emergency measure for the situation and doesn't become the norm. It shows either a lack of intent on last tackle plays - which are key - or a lack of faith in the players to execute the skill. 

Injuries weren't finished biting Saints who ended up toughing this one out with only one or two fit interchange players. Along with Lomax centre Nene McDonald was out of the rotation with a muscle injury. Anecdotally, someone suggested to me that he was fit enough to go through warm up on the sideline exercise bike but he did not participate in the second half. 

With Robertson likely now to fill in for Welsby long term we suddenly have a problem at centre. Such was the extent of that problem here that Matt Whitley was again pressed into emergency action in the role. Something else we thought we would no longer have to resort to. But with McDonald out, Deon Cross off for a spell for an HIA and Mark Percival still unavailable our depth has evaporated quickly.

Given the way the middle of the defence collapsed at times during the loss at Warrington it was a pretty special effort to keep it together. Saints badly miss the injured skipper Matty Lees in this department as well as the departed Morgan Knowles. Prominent in the improvement on last week was Joe Shorrocks. 

The ex-Wigan and Salford man is proving me more and more wrong with each passing week. And not just for his defence. His passing skills have been central to some of Saints' most coherent attacks. Even if he does resemble Lakeside era Phil Taylor. 

He deservedly got over for the decisive second half try. But his 46-tackle defensive effort was key to filling the hole left by Lees. That was the most by any player on either side. Jacob Alick-Wienke had 42 for Leigh while Daryl Clark was Saints' next busiest defender with 40. He may have had an easier workload but for the loss of Lomax. 

So it's goodbye to the Leigh hoodoo. Such as it was. Endless column inches - including here - were written about Saints' inability to beat any of Leigh, Wigan or Hull KR last term. Defeat at Warrington only intensified that anxiety. So as much as it is two competition points on the table this win is also psychologically important. It should instil belief that was never really there under Wellens. There's work to do but we can all feel more hopeful that it's a manageable task. 

Some aesthetics to report on for the first visit to the newly monikered Brewdog Stadium in 2026. I arrived in the middle of the pre-game lights show. I'm sure many enjoyed it but I'd rather have some music or a recap of the lineups. Especially since I haven't had a mobile signal in the ground since it opened in 2012 and couldn't verify the whispers I was hearing about Robertson's original omission from the starting lineup. 

A common and reasonable fan bugbear is the way that repeat sets or 'six agains' have been communicated to the crowd since the rule was introduced during the Covid crisis. Previously there was a buzzer but it was hit and miss to the extent that sometimes the players didn't seem aware. Now there is an over confident sounding bell - no not Mikey Lewis - and a radio jingle style announcement of 'ruck infringement'. It's a start but it's still a bit vague. You still need to be watching on TV and therefore able to hear the ref mic to fully understand why your team are defending what feels like tackle 14. 

And staying with sound effects can we please get Kyle Feldt's try scoring music into the nearest bin? Whenever he crosses - as he did in this one - we are subjected to a blast of Rhinestone Cowboy. Presumably this is a reference to his previous club North Queensland. That's misguided at best and plain weird at worst. Please, please stop with this cringe-athon. 

Ultimately we probably haven't learned as much about the Rowley philosophy as we would like. It's likely that the difficult circumstances forced him into emergency measures. Full discovery will come when everyone is fit and available. But you would absolutely be forgiven for wondering when that might be.

Saints visit Perpignan next week to take on the Catalans Dragons. Lewis Dodd, Tommy Makinson et al. They haven't greatly impressed in a win over Huddersfield and defeat to Bradford in the opening two rounds. If Saints can apply themselves as they did against Adrian Lam's men they should be well capable of coming home with the points.