Owen Farnworth, a 13-year-old budding sports journlist, analyses Saints' form at the start of Betfred Super League 2018

SAINTS have made an impressive start to the season, beating Castleford Tigers in round one and coming through a tough test in the south of France to defeat Catalans Dragons.

The form of Ben Barba has been particularly impressive during the two games, earning man of the match in round one after bagging a brace and picking up a few assists.

He also made a great tackle in the second half against Cas as Greg Eden made a break down the left-hand side before being bundled into touch by Barba, which had the Saints crowd on their feet as if the team had crossed for yet another try.

Barba is mostly known for flashy tricks in attack. However, this tackle showed he has a fantastic ability to do his job in defence as well.

Barba also played a part in the win at Catalans, setting up the first try of the game as Jonny Lomax crossed inside the first minute.

Justin Holbrook has chosen Danny Richardson and Lomax as his half-back partnership for both games, with Theo Fages being used as a different option from the bench.

Fages has also been used to provide cover when Lomax may need to move to another place in the back line, as seen in round one when Lomax moved to the centres after Ryan Morgan suffered a head injury.

I believe that the system is working well and should be carried on into the Huddersfield game to give Lomax and Richardson a chance to gel together even more and continue their partnership throughout the season.

The fact Saints have a recognised half-back on the bench as good as Fages, who is probably good enough to get into any Super League side, illustrates the strength in depth of the squad this season.

The forwards have looked good as they have provided a good platform for the backs to work off and set up the tries.

Alex Walmsley even performed an impressive flick-back to set up Lomax in the Cas game. It was amazing for such a big man to get down there and set up the try. These efforts are what fans want to see from the team over the course of a season.

However, Saints suffered a blow in round two with second row Morgan Knowles being sent off for a dangerous tackle.

Saints managed to win the game with only having 12 men for half an hour, but the effects of the red card may be felt for a while as Knowles was charged with a grade E offence which has resulted in a four-game ban. Knowles looked to be making the second row and loose forward positions his own during the two games.

During the two games Saints showed they still have the defensive resolve they displayed last season as it was only breached three times.

This was especially the case in the Catalans game as Saints spent long periods of time on their own line in the first and second half with repeat sets happening often.

The defence stood firm until David Mead breached it in the second half.

Although a soft try was conceded late in the game from Da Costa’s scoot from dummy half the resolve of Saints showed, keeping Catalans out for large periods of the game on the back of many repeat sets. This shows some early signs that the defence can be as good as last year.

The main thing Saints needed to do during the winter months was improve their attacking fluency and there were plenty signs of this during the Cas game in week one as the team ran in 46 points against last year's league leaders.

It shows the attacking talent within the squad has been rejuvenated by Holbrook’s arrival as coach last season, playing a brand and style of rugby league which the team love playing and fans will love watching.

Hopefully this will bring larger crowds to the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Numerous attempts to reach out to the fans were undetaken during the off season, with players going into the community and open training sessions taking place at Ruskin Drive.

Engaging with supporters looks like a philosophy that Holbrook may have brought to the club upon arrival to help bring a new demographic of fans through the turnstiles at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Overall the first two games of the season were a complete contrast in types of wins, with one being an amazing show of rugby league with Saints attacking skills on show as 46 points were put past Cas, while the other was a victory by nine points in the south of France by way of grit and determination in defence and showing Saints' ability to win games in the toughest of circumstances with 12 men.

It illustrates Saints have the ability to deal with any type of game this year which is a valuable asset when aiming for trophies at the back end of the season.

Next opponents Huddersfield have had a mixed start to the season.

They lost a tough game away at Hull before bouncing back with an impressive 20-6 win at home to Warrington.

Very much like the Catalans game it will be a tough challenge as Saints look to win three out of three and continue their winning streak.