St Helens coach Keiran Cunningham was more outspoken after his team's 39-0 defeat at Langtree Park. "Michael Maguire is a great coach and he has re-invented his team again, how they play," Cunningham said. "They have got two ball playing back-rowers now and it is definitely going to give them another edge. They have been used to power runners on the edge and now they have got ball players. Michael is a very good coach and he has adapted the way that Souths play. They are going to be a tough team to beat this year. I actually thought they had lost a bit of punch but the way they played the game was good and they are just going to get better and better." World champions: Former captain John Sutton and his successor Greg Inglis celebrate with the trophy after victory in the World Club Challenge match between St Helens and South Sydney Rabbitohs at Langtree Park. Credit:Getty Images The main beneficiaries of the change of style this season are Souths halves Adam Reynolds and Luke Keary. Reynolds played next to Stewart and they combined for a first-half try to centre Dylan Walker, while Keary worked with Sutton on the left. "We have only had a few sessions together and it is something we are going to really nail down and try to get better each week. 'Gifty' [Stewart] is a talented football player and to be around him and to get the experience he has goes a long way to helping my game as well. He is a ball player, a bit like Johnny Sutton, and he showed throughout his days at Manly that he is a great player."

Keary added: "I didn't get to play much with Sutto last year but I enjoyed the last couple of games together at the end of the season and then tonight kind of clicked again. Obviously he is a very experienced player and he is really comfortable now just playing out on that left edge and doing his job. It felt comfortable tonight so it is pretty positive moving forward and Adam and "Gifty" over on the right looked comfortable too." Maguire has given fullback Greg Inglis a roaming role which enables him to become involved wherever the ball is and he was also outstanding in his first game for the Rabbitohs since being appointed to replace Sutton as captain. "I think what we saw tonight is going to give us a lot of different combinations," Maguire said. "I thought by allowing Greg to now swing to both sides with two ball playing backrowers on both sides frees up our halves. We are a very honest team and we talk amongst ourselves about how we are going to keep evolving. Obviously Greg moving into leadership has offered a different string to us, along with John doing what he was doing last year. "I am really pleased with how Glenn started. He played 40 minutes last weekend and he hasn't played for quite some time. He had to jump into the pre-season and has got his body in great shape. I think the combinations are going to grow, I think that little combination they had down that right side there will increase. Luke Keary on the other side playing with John Sutton in the backrow that is going to grow." Stewart said the combinations would only improve.

"They have been used to power runners on the edge and now they have got ball players. Michael is a very good coach and he has adapted the way that Souths play. St Helens coach Keiran Cunningham "It is coming together pretty well and obviously we have got some big boys in the middle too so hopefully we can test teams all around the park," Stewart said. "I am not going to lie, I was pretty worried after being at Manly for so long but they have really welcomed and I feel really comfortable there."