Quote: Blobbynator "My 1st post after the game and whilst this may be a reaction to the new coaching regime from the players, I've not seen Saints play like that for 4 or 5 years. We were absolutely sensational all across the park. Everyone in the 17 had a strong game, some more than others, but everyone contributed in some way.
We played with incredible aggression in the pack offensively and defensively - everyone of them were fantastic. Perry did exactly what we had hoped he would do from the start - excellent display and gives me optimism for his future, Puletua was outstanding in the back row (I'm excited to see him alongside Soliola), Wilkin worked tirelessly, Laffranchi was strong, Roby superb, LMS gave us great impact and both Magennis and Clough worked very hard. 4 forwards on the bench meant we were able to sustain the pressure and we were relentless. Leeds didn't stand a chance and their try came from a huge forward pass.
The backs off the back of it were top quality and that was all down to the great work of the half backs who completely controlled the game. Hohaia was the calming influence with his kicking and organisation whilst Lomax was able to shine and do what he does best. Lomax put in his best ever Saints display IMO, better than his performance last year at the DW Stadium. Gardner and Meli on the wings were fantastic, especially Gardner. They were like two wild bulls bringing that ball back, Leeds must've been fed up and they both gave us great momentum early in the sets. Gardner's tries were fantastic especially his 1st try, it was like he wound the clock back 5 years along with Wellens, who was superb also.
Most importantly for me, we were ruthless and entertaining to watch. We offloaded the ball and played with a freedom that we've not done since the Millward / Anderson era. I'm excited to see us play like this and the with the players we have on board we've got a good chance if we can continue in that type of form. Absolutely immense Saints, the 1st real special night at Langtree Park and I can't wait to see more.
COYS!'"
Absolutely spot on. Totally agree with your post.
It wasn't the fact we won the game, but the manner in which we played - I was thoroughly entertained from minute 1 to minute 80. It was quite probably the best first half to a first half I have EVER seen from a Saints team - enthusiastic, tactically spot on, and ruthless. I think in the entire first half, Leeds had about 15 play the balls in our half, and half of those were the last tackle at the end of a set just in our half. I bet the number of play the balls in our red zone was single figures. That's incredible dominance really.
For me, there were echoes of Boxing Day 92 (well, the day after boxing day if we're being pedantic), and the 41-6 game against the pies. That was also a performance against the reigning champions that wasn't expected, and was the catalyst for our push towards the league (which we lost on points difference). The feeling leaving Langtree Park on Sunday was very similar to leaving Knowsley Road that day.
Whilst I am loving the moment, I realise that it's only one game, and the bigger test is whether we can sustain this performance over several weeks. I would hope we can. We may encounter losses over the nest few weeks, but as long as we play with the same enthusiasm, I will be happy. It feels like we're watching Saints again.
Last note - superb atmosphere, even before the rout started - thought the crowd really got behind the players as soon as they came out of the tunnel.
