Former Australian Test centre Matt Gidley showed his class as champions St Helens stormed back to the top of the engage Super League.

Gidley, the man chosen to fill the considerable boots of 2005 Man of Steel Jamie Lyon, experienced a slow start to his English career but he made his mark with a hat-trick of tries at a sell-out Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Back-to-back defeats by Harlequins and Wakefield are a distant memory after the world club champions followed up their clinical destruction of Bradford with an even more impressive rout of Warrington.

The Wolves had the chance to go top themselves for the first time in the summer era after winning three of their opening four matches but they never seriously looked like ending their dismal run against their local rivals.

A brief revival just before half-time, when they scored two tries in four minutes, gave them a lifeline but they have now won just once in 28 Super League derbies.

Saints were boosted by the return of forwards Mike Bennett and Maurie Fa'asavalu, which gave coach Daniel Anderson the luxury of being able to rest 17-year-old Stephen Tyrer following his impressive debut last week.

A crunching tackle by St Helens winger Francis Meli on full-back Stuart Reardon in the opening minutes signalled Saints' intent and they were the most lively team in a fast and furious start to the game.

Warrington had a try by centre Martin Gleeson disallowed on 10 minutes by video referee Phil Bentham , who ruled a double movement but three minutes later awarded a controversial first score to Gidley.

The former Newcastle Knights centre appeared to merely brush the ball as he followed up Sean Long's kick to the line but Bentham decided there was sufficient pressure.

Long, who regained the goalkicking duties in the absence of Tyrer, was wide the conversion but the visitors doubled their lead on 25 minutes from another kick.

This time winger Ade Gardner palmed back Leon Pryce's 'bomb' to the waiting Nick Fozzard and was on hand to take Gidley's neat pass to cross for a try.

Then Gidley took Long's pass and wrong-footed Paul Johnson to grab his second touchdown and Long's second goal gave his side a comfortable cushion.

Lee Briers thought otherwise, however, and darted over from a quickly-taken tap penalty to pull one try back.

And, with the last move of the half, he kicked to the corner for winger Henry Fa'afili to finish decisively for a second try.

Briers also converted both tries from wide positions to cut the deficit to just four points.

But Warrington's comeback proved shortlived, with Saints starting the second half the way they began the first.

A clean break by full-back Paul Wellens set up the position for Meli to force his way over from acting half-back within four minutes of the re-start.

The ever-dangerous Pryce and Gardner were then both held just short as Saints maintained the pressure, which paid off on 53 minutes when Gidley completed his hat-trick.

Fa'asavalu set up the position with a storming run and Keiron Cunningham's smart pass from dummy-half enabled Gidley to cross unopposed.

Long was wide with both kicks at goal, leaving him with just two successes from five attempts, but Saints were back in command at 24-12.

And it got even better for the visitors when Bennett finished a slick handling move by taking Long's pass to register his side's sixth try.

The game was over by then and Warrington's misery was compounded 14 minutes from the end when both half-backs - Briers and Chris Bridge - hobbled off injured.

There was still time for Pryce to show his pace, sprinting 95 metres for a glorious try after scooping up a loose ball, and he added a second after Gidley and Gardner cleverly kept the ball alive.

Wellens rounded off the scoring with Saints' ninth try in stoppage time and Long, who had found his kicking range by then, took his goal tally to six.