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. An early converted Daryl Clark try - created beautifully by the burgeoning link between Jackson Hastings and Shane Wright - 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 promising link 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 that 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 Lees missing too. Fingers crossed he's 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.
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