London Broncos 18 Saints 34 SUPER League leaders Saints made it five wins in as many games - three of them in a week - with this seven-try show at The Stoop.

But they were yet again slow to click into top gear - the result of a gruelling programme no doubt.

For, if ever there was story of two contrasting halves this was it.

A Saints' side, trailing at the interval for the third time with the season just a month old, finally got their act together to emerge comfortable winners.

A second period revival such as this speaks volumes for the character and resolve so evident in Saints' game plan with the arrival of coach Ellery Hanley whose man-management skills are awesome, according to the players. And there were numerous outstanding performances as the bandwagon rolled on.

Pride of place must go to full-back Paul Atcheson with a storming hat-trick of tries (his second at this level), while all-action hooker Keiron Cunnningham and the vastly improved Paul Davidson regularly caught the eye, and it was also good to see the inspiraational Chris Joynt back after injury.

Broncos' exerted much of the early pressure and Atcheson twice saved his side's bacon with timely interventions, but Saints weathered the storm and would have set the scoreboard moving if Tommy Martyn had found the target when Appollo Perelini was fouled. Saints were not to be denied, however, and took the lead when, after Martyn hoisted a towering 'bomb' into sub-standard floodlights, the fast-following Atcheson leapt like a salmon to beat Tulsen Tollett to the touchdown with eight minutes gone.

Martyn added the goal, but Saints were then rocked back on their heels as the Broncos scored 16 points in nine minutes, which included three tries straight from the top drawer. The first came when ex-Saint Karle Hammond chipped to the right corner for Brett Warton to get the nod from the video referee; captain Peter Gill sold Paul Sculthorpe an outrageous dummy for the next, and finally Hammond's shrewd pass sent Greg Fleming racing over.

Warton added two conversions, and at this stage there was more than a hint that Saints needed to wake up from their travelling army of fans.

Their call was answered when Atcheson, Freddie Tuilagi and Kevin Iro broke on the right for Martyn's long pass to send Sullivan racing past Warton to touch down in the opposite corner, and so bring Saints within one score of London as the half-time hooter sounded The Australian winger increased Broncos lead to 18-10 on the restart after 'Sully' was penalised for bizarrely playing the ball to London, but Saints roared back into contention when Cunningham, Sean Long and Paul Newlove carved out a gap for Atcheson's second try, to which Martyn added the goal points.

Warton then departed with a broken arm, and the scene was now set for Martyn to restore the visitors' lead when he charged down Glen Air's kick, and twice chipped ahead in a 50-yard dribble to the try-line for a touchdown which was the 100th of Tommy's career.

The industrious Martyn then set up Atcheson's third try, and Saints sealed the issue on 65 minutes when, from inside his own half, Perelini broke away like a top-class centre to send Sullivan hurtling over for Martyn to convert.

Substitute Chris Smith, Long, Sullivan and Newlove then split the Broncos defence for 17-year-old Cowley schoolboy Tim Jonkers to score Saints' final try in the dying seconds, after which Hanley's three-week ban on alcohol was lifted - but only temporarily!

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