In contrast, the Saints are inviting questions about their premiership credentials after crashing to their third loss in four games, 14.7 (91) to 10.12 (72).

“Obviously it’s pretty disappointing,” North Wagga coach Kirk Hamblin said.

“The playing group is just not playing with anywhere near the confidence which we were at the start of the year.”

An ankle injury to Ned Mortimer in the second minute and a broken nose to the in-form Tariku Fitzgerald-Holmes added injury to the insult of their first defeat at McPherson Oval this year.

The worries were compounded by Chad Hamblin getting reported in a bizarre final quarter, which featured five 50-metre penalties and six goals to the Jets, and five goals to the Saints.

“I thought we had a chance to steal the game in the last quarter and our discipline let us down, which was probably the most frustrating thing,” Kirk Hamblin said.

Ultimately though, the Jets’ whole side gave them a lesson in hunger. And their stars showed them how to take control of a game, with Mitch Haddrill, Sam Fisher, Alex Rogers and Jeromy Lucas (four goals) stepping up when it mattered.

“He (Lucas) is great for us, he gives us a target down there, straightens us up, and when we swap him on ball, he’s just got time,” Jets coach Mitch Robinson said.

“He’s very, very skilful.” 

The Saints had started well with the first four scoring shots of the game. But kicking 1.3 wasn’t ideal. The Jets kicked four straight with theirs, on the way to a four-point lead at quarter-time, and then dominated the second term.

Rogers had three touches in a long run from defence to attack to set up an early Paddy Bray goal. Minutes later, schoolboy star Lucas, a late inclusion, had his third goal before Haddrill buried his opponent Chris Rothnie with a tackle and then kicked truly to open up a four-goal lead. 

Lucas continued to look dangerous in the third but it was Rogers who popped up forward for the Jets’ only goal, before the Saints closed the gap to 14 points and looked to be coming.

The last quarter was a shoot-out with three goals to each team inside 13 minutes, and Saints forward Alex Grozinger stamping himself on the game.

But consecutive 50-metre penalties to the Jets gifted the visitors a momentum-swinging goal to Haddrill.

And Rogers had their third from a 50-free minutes later to take a 25-point lead and put the game beyond reach and keep the finals in sight.

“We stuck to our game structure – we ran, took the game on and we didn’t stray from it,” Robinson said. 

“We played four quarters of footy. We knew they’d come at us in the last quarter and they did.

“We’ve got a big trip next week, a road trip to Coleambally. We’ve seen what they’ve done to North Wagga last week so we’ve got to be up and about. And that was the good thing about today, there was a bit of excitement so it was good.”

The Saints will sweat on Chad Hamblin’s report for back-chatting umpire Ryan Dedini twice in the final quarter, as well as Mortimer and Fitzgerald-Holmes’ injuries.

They hope to get forwards Cayden Winter and Tim Barry back for next week’s top-of-the-table clash at Marrar, but full-back Brayden Skeers is still a couple of weeks away.