FIRST and foremost, this game was a refreshing throwback in certain ways.

Perhaps not in terms of it being a classic with both sides throwing haye-makers at each other, but more in terms of it being more like a game of rugby league people could actually enjoy watching.

The stricter policing of the ruck area and, most pertinently, head contacts is for the greater good but as we have seen over the first few weeks of the season, the process of ironing out the kinks has caused frustration aplenty.

This game, though, featured just seven penalties and no cards – credit for that has to go to both teams and of course, referee Aaron Moore for managing the game very well.

Hopefully that is a sign of things to come across the game overall and for Warrington Wolves, that kind of discipline was one of the areas in which clear progress was visible.

In that respect, they were very tidy – they were not penalised until well into the second half, they did not concede a single set restart and they were not pulled up for an incorrect play-the-ball once.

Staying in control of that side of their game should allow them to play most matches on their own terms and once they had recovered from a flat start, that is exactly what happened.

Sam Burgess will have wanted his side to impose themselves on their visitors from the off but once they did click into gear, he can only have been happy with what he saw.

In attack, there were the clearest signs yet that things are starting to click – and that is with George Williams still to come back in.

On the left edge in particular, things looked very fluid off the back of some accurate, honest lead lines from Lachlan Fitzgibbon, which created the space for Matt Dufty to cause havoc.

If that continues, they have some serious strike on that side in Toby King and Matty Ashton that will cause plenty of teams plenty of problems.

Off the ball, the way in which Wire are defending continues to encourage with better line speed and durability although there is still a feeling that their yardage defence could be a little tighter.

However, it is still only Round Three and very much early days – and that is why nobody will be getting carried away just yet.

The signs are certainly encouraging, but Wire fans know only too well about the pitfalls of believing the early hype.

Two wins from three is about where many thought they would be, but a trip to Hull KR next up will give us a truer indication of where this side are.