Saints took full control in a dominant second quarter, when they had 13 scoring shots to three, to set up a 15.20 (110) to 7.6 (48) win.

Injured coach Cayden Winter was thrilled with the way his side hit back after the loss to the Northern Jets, declaring it among their better wins, and just in time for a top-three showdown against The Rock-Yerong Creek.

"I reckon it's up there. When we've been winning and winning well, it's been a team effort and that's what today was," Winter said.

"Hopefully we're back to that. Last week wasn't really good enough so I'm really happy with how the boys responded. Obviously it's a big game next week against The Rock. They're coming off a bye so they'll be fresh and ready to go."

The first quarter was free-flowing and free-scoring with nine goals kicked as both sides got their dangerous marking forwards involved. North Wagga's Daniel Jordan had three in the first term and CSU's Andrew Dickins two (as did Walt Morton) with Saints holding a seven-point lead at the break.

But pressure had to come and it was North Wagga who brought it, and how. They won the battle for contested ball but kicked seven behinds in a row before Ben Keith hit the mark with the first of their five goals for the term (and his three for the game).

By half-time, their lead was out beyond six goals, and Jordan had six, on his way to eight for the game.

The damage to CSU was limited by another eight Saints behinds in the third term but the Bushpigs' hold on a top five spot was slipping away, and North Wagga finished with four goals to one in the last.

When Jordan won a free for a tackle on Dickins, who by now was playing predominantly in the ruck and dropping back, it summed up the game and, early in the fourth quarter, he went back and kicked his seventh for a 50-point lead.

"We really ramped up our pressure acts and starting winning the ball at the coalface (in the second quarter) and that put us in good stead to win the game," Winter said.

"It flattened out a bit in the second half but I thought it was a four-quarter effort. There were just some tiny lapses in each quarter."

Elliott Winter was outstanding through the middle for Saints, where ruckman Ky Hanlon had a big game while Ben Keith made his presence felt against his old club.

Lachie Moore was tireless for CSU, and Harry Wakefield and Dickins also left their mark on the game.

Full-time:

North Wagga 5.2, 10.10, 11.18, 15.20 (110)

CSU Bushpigs 4.1, 5.3, 6.4, 7.6 (48)

Goals: (North Wagga) Daniel Jordan 8, Benjamin Keith 3, Josh Thompson 1, Luke Mauger 1, Corey Watt 1, Elliott Winter 1; (CSU) Walt Morton 2, Andrew Dickins 2, Cayleb Dunne-Argus 1, Wayde Archibald 1, Harry Turner 1.

Best: (North Wagga) Daniel Jordan, Elliott Winter, Benjamin Keith, Ky Hanlon, Jackson Kerr, Matthew Thomas (CSU) Lachlan Moore, Harry Wakefield, Andrew Dickins, Benjamin Browning, Wayde Archibald, Jack Mason.

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