The Saints shot out to an early lead and had all the answers as they notched a 45 to 35 victory.

Coach Tori Ellis said it was a crucial victory against a finals contender.

"It was an important win because if we had of lost we would have been out of the top-six," Ellis said.

"We are only percentage behind the second side, so it was a fairly critical win.

"We were in front from the start but it wasn't easy, especially in that first-half.

"It opened up a bit in that second-half but we certainly had to work hard for the win."

The Saints finished eighth last season.

But the return of Lauren Coelli and Lauren Kerrins has raised hopes that finals are a realistic goal.

Ellis said the side was starting to gel after playing in patches earlier.

"That was the first week that I thought that we played as a team," she said.

"We have been working hard at training and it is starting to come together.

"The most pleasing thing was it was really hard to pick the best players because it really was a team effort."