LEE Briers has given a thumbs up' verdict to his new Wolves half-back partner this week and is confident their best form will be produced as the season progresses.

To allow former Manly ace Michael Monaghan to control affairs at scrum half this year, Briers got to grips with adjusting to the stand-off role in Friday's opening win against Hull - just as he did impressively when other star Australians Allan Langer, Nathan Wood and Andrew Johns joined the club in previous years.

Wolves' 2008 chief playmakers felt rusty despite playing key parts in five of the six tries that were scored against the Airlie Birds and Briers feels there's a lot more to come' as Wolves prepare to go in search of an elusive win against St Helens at Knowsley Road tomorrow, Friday, kick-off 7.30pm.

Briers, who described the display against Hull as scrappy, said: "Monas is top class. He ran the show against Hull.

"We know the performances will improve from that. The partnership is steadily building and the more time we play and train together the more we're going to reap the rewards."

The weight of responsibility on the 29-year-old's shoulders has grown continuously since signing from St Helens in 1997 but having the quality of Monaghan at his side as well as releasing the captaincy to Adrian Morley has eased some of the pressure and that should benefit him and Wolves in the long run as he focuses more on his own game.

He said: "I'm gutted that I felt I had to make that decision to give up the captaincy and it hurt me but I felt for the club to go forward that's what I had to do.

"I had to be a man about it and I think I have been.

"My grey hairs have stopped, so I must be more relaxed.

"I'm training well and relishing the role I've got, which is a free role at the club although I'm still there to take pressure off the guys looking after the captaincy."

He has also had some surprise help in coping with any pressures that do evolve during the campaign.

The Wales international said: "The night before the Hull game I got a text message off my friend's grandson, Lewis.

"He said to remember today's motto Pressure is for the privileged'. I thought that was brilliant for a 12-year-old and it's something that I've thought really deeply about. I will probably take that with me all the way through the season."

The pressure from supporters' expectancy could lift for all the players if Wolves manage to beat the depleted world club champions on their own patch for the first time in 20 attempts tomorrow.

But Briers, who has appeared in 15 of those losses against his hometown club, said: "I know that beating Saints is the win that the fans want, it's one that I want too.

"We've got to improve 1,000 per cent from the Hull game to beat Saints at Saints.

"We can't afford to give as many penalties away as we did against Hull. We've just got to keep working hard, practicing one or two areas and defending well."

Head coach Paul Cullen will make just one change to the side that defeated Hull, with either Andy Bracek or Ben Harrison starting on the bench in place of Steve Pickersgill who collected a two-match ban at Tuesday's RFL disciplinary hearing following a reckless high tackle' on Motu Tony in the Hull game.

Saints have announced they will be without injured internationals Maurie Fa'asavalu, Jon Wilkin, Willie Talau, Jason Cayless and Paul Sculthorpe but Cullen says that the home line-up will still be of world-class standard.

He added: "To beat Saints it will take our best effort.

"We read very little into the events at Craven Park where they lost against Hull KR at the weekend and we won't be reading anything into one or two injuries that they may or may not have.

"St Helens were on the wrong end of a very big penalty count in the first half at Hull KR and did not have the best of completion rates - quite unlike them.

"But they were still very strong when they had the ball and good field position.

"They produced a dynamic and courageous performance as they fought back in the second half and the game could have gone their way."

* Wolves' fit Super League squad men who do not play against St Helens will be kept match fresh' when they represent Warrington's reserves in a friendly away to Cambridge University on Saturday.

* Chris Riley and Simon Grix were among the scorers when Wolves' reserves defeated Warrington Wizards in a friendly at Wilderspool Stadium on Sunday. See the report on page 125.

* Prop Paul Wood and full back Stuart Reardon are pencilled in to make their first appearances of the season in the reserves' opening league game at Hull KR on February 24.