Salford Reds 12 Saints 30 UNRELENTING defence, attacking flair and a marked improvement in discipline . . .

These were the vital ingredients for victory as Saints got their Super League campaign off in style at the Willows on Sunday.

Pre-match forecasts were that an unbeaten Salford side would prove too strong for a Saints' team lacking captain Chris Joynt, Keiron Cunningham, Chris Smith and Sonny Nickle plus fielding four teenagers - including two debutants - in their squad.

But this was a day when the Knowsley Road line-up rose to the challenge magnificently.

Scoring of six tries to two in monsoon conditions is a telling summary of Saints' superiority in speed, handling skill and tackling commitment while, on the evidence of this display, coach Ellery Hanley has added a certain steel in preaching the gospel of self-control.

On an individual note18-point scrum-half Sean Long (including his first Super League hat-trick) took Saints' man-of-the-match award, with his only blemish being wayward goalkicking, while full-back Paul 'Patch' Atcheson didn't put a foot wrong throughout 80 minutes.

Two-try Paul Newlove and Kevin Iro were simply awesome, while up front Vila Matautia, Julian O'Neill, Apollo Perelini and Paul Davidson were forever taking the game to Salford, while stand-in skipper Paul Sculthorpe is proving to be worth every penny of the record fee he cost Saints.

However, it was the displays of 'the young ones' Paul Wellens and Mark Edmondson (both 19), and Tim Jonkers (17) that particularly pleased Saints' considerable following, and although 18-year-old Scott Barrow came on only in the 79th minute his pedigree is similar.

Salford laid seige to the Saints' line for fully 15 minutes from the kick-off and sustained pressure meant Saints were forced to drop out on six occasions.

But Saints who snatched the lead with a glorious opening try.

It came when Long put Iro away on a defence-splitting break, and Super League top try-scorer Newlove took the Kiwi's inside pass to blast through Gary Broadbent's challenge before twisting out of a double tackle to touch down.

Salford's reply was swift, and came when Darren Brown and Bobby Thompson put ex-Saint Joey Hayes over to level the scores at 4-4 but, after a brilliant Sculthorpe run, another piece of Long-Newlove magic saw Paul hoodwink the home cover to notch his 54th try, only for Sean to miss the simple conversion.

Busy bee Crompton then sold an outrageous dummy to cross the Saints' line for Blakeley to tack on the extra points, only for Long to make it 10-10 with a 40-yard penalty when Smith transgressed at the play-the-ball, with the goal signalling the end of a first half humdinger. On the restart Sculthorpe was placed on report after a tackle on Broadbent - a baffling decision - and after Tommy Martyn, Wellens and Matauita had gone close to breaking the deadlock, Newlove saved Saints' bacon with a superb covering tackle on Paul Carige.

Salford then regained the initiative when Blakeley landed a penalty on being fouled by Iro but, with 30 minutes to go, that proved to be the last time the Reds disturbed the scoreboard as Saints took complete command.

Atcheson fed Iro, who thundered down the middle and, on being challenged by Broadbent, sent Long hurtling 60 yards to score and although the conversion was off-target the visitors were poised to take a strangehold against a Salford side always ready to keep the ball alive. It was Saints' line that appeared under threat when Atcheson cleared a Crompton grubber to break the immediate cover over 40 yards, and yet again the ever-alert Long was at his elbow to put the finishing touch to a field-length epic, with the resultant goal seeing Saints 20-12 in front with 67 minutes gone.

Try number three for Sean came after a solo break from close in, and the Knowsley Road side's joy was complete when Martyn chipped through for Sculthorpe to plunge over for Long to land his third goal.

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