SAINTS boss Keiron Cunningham hailed the impact of the three first half subs in helping them get out of a sticky spot at home to Castleford.

After a decidedly off-colour start in which Saints twice trailed, the introduction of Kyle Amor, Luke Thompson and Morgan Knowles saw them knuckle down into a more direct game which stopped the match from drifting.

From 10-6 down, Saints ended up going in 24-10 at the break after a much better second quarter.

Cunningham said: "The bench changed the game again for us.

“Morgan Knowles and Luke Thompson were a good combination off the bench for us.

"We missed Tommo last week and he was a massive loss because as he was giving us lots before he got his two-game ban. He showed tonight that he is a real force for us and is really coming of age.

“Young Morgan Knowles is a real unsung hero. He tidies everything up for you;he is great defensively and his wrestle and contact is brilliant and he controls the middle of field. He has he bright future.

“Kyle Amor has been phenomenal this year, even when things were not going well.

"Kyle and James Roby are turning up each week too. We are used to them doing it now so we probably take it for granted. It is good for us.”

Saints secured the required points to secure a semi-final berth, but they were on a bit of hiding to nothing against a depleted Cas side, who were essentially playing for nothing.

"These are really tough games to play in," he said. "When the squads were announced early in the week expectations get higher and higher.

“You have to credit Castleford for the way they have played in the last few weeks. They have beaten some good sides, playing some enterprising rugby.

"That is the danger when you are playing against those carefree sides it doesn't matter if a pass doesn't stick or a kick doesn't find its right spot.

“It is tough and you end up dropping into that vicious cycle a bit in the first half.

"Defensively there was a lot effort across the park. The moral about playing rugby league is it is a pretty simple game. If you keep hold of the ball, kick it and tackle as hard as you can and get the ball back in a better spot there is a good chance you might score a try.

"They came and took it to us in the first 20 minutes, but in the second 20 we completed high and posted lots of points. We should have kept them scoreless but we brought the NFL rulebook out and they scored a try at the end."