Tristan Sailor has scored four tries to help St Helens break the Super League record for widest winning margin as they ran in 15 tries against a second-string Salford side to claim an 82-0 victory in the opening round of the season.
The Red Devils remain bound to a £1.2 million ($A2.4 million) sustainability cap after failing to prove to the Rugby Football League with the necessary requirements to lift the restriction following their takeover last week.
As a result, Salford coach Paul Rowley opted to rest the majority of his first-team squad on Saturday due to the sustainability cap, handing seven debuts to reserve players Lucas Coan, Sean Murray, Finley Yates, Jimmy Shields, Harrison Hope, John Hutchings and Logan Lagar who were part of a 16-man squad.
The Red Devils said in a club statement earlier this week that they were hopeful the situation will be resolved by the time they host Leeds next weekend.
As for St Helens, off-season recruits Kyle Feldt and Sailor, from North Queensland and Brisbane respectively, made their Super League debuts following their moves from the NRL while fellow new signing Lewis Murphy started on the wing.
Paul Wellens' side were relentless in the first half, running in seven tries to take a 38-0 lead into the sheds at the break.
They added further salt into the wounds of the youthful Red Devils by scoring eight more tries in the second half to break the record for biggest winning margin, surpassing 80-point margins previously held by Bradford, Warrington and Leeds.
It was a perfect start from the Saints, who scored four tries in the first 15 minutes through Morgan Knowles, Murphy, Sailor and Curtis Sironen.
Rising star Harry Robertson bagged a first-half brace while Knowles also got his second to give his side a comfortable advantage at halftime.
Their dominance continued after the restart, with player-of-the-match Sailor completing a second-half hat-trick and his fourth of the game.
Feldt, Jonny Lomax, Mark Percival, Joe Batchelor and George Delaney also got on the scoresheet for the Saints at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
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