SAINTS boss Kristian Woolf admitted his side were not at their best – with a significant number of handling errors – but hard work and defensive resolve saw them complete the double over neighbours Warrington.
The Wire, who have been off colour this season, opened the scoring with a Gareth Widdop try – and Saints knew they were in a game.
Saints nudged in front when a push from a scrum that Warrington appeared to holding the ball in to play for an offside yielded an unorthodox try to Alex Walmsley.
Aided by the surges and offload game from Agnatius Paasi, Saints finished the half on top and were rewarded with a Tommy Makinson score.
Saints, although still clunky with the ball, were still in control until the hour mark when a poor kick and chase allowed Widdop to race upfield and send George Williams over to make it a two-point ball game.
It needed a Makinson try saver to secure the spoils – and afterwards Woolf admitted that his side had to work hard for it.
He said: “It was a good game of footy and Warrington challenged us in different ways.
"We were not quite at our best tonight and made a lot of uncharacteristic errors but at the same time I thought our effort was outstanding.
"When we were under pressure we just turned up for each other and that is what this group does so well, they keep scrambling and keep turning up and play for each other."
Saints turned over a lot of ball, in all areas of the park, and with such a poor completion rate it meant the attack was disappointing at times.
“Sometimes you get a little bit ugly with the ball and don’t quite get things right and it certainly started that way,” Woolf said.
“On our first set when we had the opportunity to put them under pressure we dropped the ball on play three.
“That just seemed to be our night a little bit.
“Again when you have got that effort and defend like that and want to turn up like that for each other then you give yourself a chance every week and that is what this group does so well.”
Saints were just on top and had coped with the Wire storm when Konrad Hurrell was stopped short from an interception.
The failed to capitalise on that and within two plays the pendulum had swung back towards the homesters.
“The game changed off the back of one poor set and poor finish and it gave them an opportunity.
“We were pretty much in control before that and had everything covered defensively in terms of what they were throwing up and I thought we were the ones that we were building the most pressure.
“It was a matter of time before we found some more points – but a poor set from us and a very poor kick and a poor chase as well which was a little bit uncharacteristic, and Warrington were good enough to make us pay.
“I was happy with the way we handled that last 10 minutes as well. It is easy to go chasing things in the last 10 minutes to try and make the game finish early.
“We were happy to stay in that game and stay at two points and defend our way through it. I thought the mindset and the effort there was great.”
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