Even with a host of regular stars sidelined, McLeod’s youthful Devils posted three second-quarter tries to lead 16-6 at halftime and ran in a further five in the second half to hand the visiting Blues a 34-point defeat.

In the absence of regular starting halves Justin Rodrigues and Zac Greene, young recruit Tony Pellow was the standout, laying on three tries including a 70-metre solo effort. 

It proved a crucial play, giving the hosts a 10-point buffer at the break after they trailed 6-0 early on. With a number of stars set to return in the coming weeks, it was a pleasing outing for McLeod.

“It was a good performance, there was plenty of effort and commitment,” McLeod said.

“There’s plenty to work on, it’s still early on. It was a good win but we’re not getting carried away with it.

“They’ve been competing really hard with each other the last six weeks at training and that was another step today.

“I challenged the guys beforehand to not treat it as a trial game, treat it as an opportunity to start our year. Whatever I’ve asked them to do over the summer, especially the last six weeks, they’ve jumped at, so I expected that from them.”