Kyle Eastmond was praised by both Mick Potter and Tony Smith after impressing in St Helens' win over Warrington.
Smith pleased with effort of his players despite slipping to defeat
Both St Helens coach Mick Potter and Warrington counterpart Tony Smith heaped praise on Kyle Eastmond after his superb display in Saints' 28-18 win over the Wolves.
The England scrum-half scored the opening try of the derby contest at Knowsley Road and also kicked six goals from six attempts.
Eastmond's impeccable boot proved the difference in the end, with both teams managing four tries apiece.
Potter warned that there is still more to come from the 20-year-old, who switched to full-back in the second half following an injury to Paul Wellens.
No problems
"Nothing seems to be a problem for him," Potter said. "We had to move him out of position but he's composed and he showed his quality.
"I don't think we've seen the best of him yet."
Smith echoed the views of the Saints boss on Eastmond, adding: "He's been good for a long time and he's getting better.
"He was very potent at times today. I'm pleased for him, he's great to watch."
Defeat means Warrington will never register a Super League win at Knowsley Road, with Saints moving to a new stadium in 2011.
They had trailed 20-4 at one stage but battled back to within two points of their rivals thanks to three tries in the space of seven minutes.
But a try from Ade Gardner - his second of the night - sealed victory for the hosts, with Eastmond adding a penalty in the closing minutes.
"I thought we dominated many facets of the game," said Smith. "Errors cost us. They really capitalised which they can do. We need to learn to cope when errors are made.
"But I was very pleased with the efforts of my players. They're all pretty disappointed but, if we put that sort of effort in every week, we'll be at the pointy end of the competition."
Satisfying night
Potter felt his side's excellent kicking game proved the difference.
"It was very satisfying," he said. "They were down on our line quite a bit and we produced a massive effort in defence.
"I thought we handled the conditions really well. It came down to the best kicking game and our last play options were pretty good."
