St Helens made the worst possible start to the new season when they crashed to a 32-12 defeat against a Sean Long-inspired Hull FC side.
Long opted to reject a new 12-month contract offer by Saints to pen a two-year deal at the KC Stadium and it already appears to have been the right decision.
Hull, a side that struggled for most of last year, were transformed and never looked like losing to a team that has been at the pinnacle of Super League for the last decade but now appears to be on the wane.
The visitors led 12-0 at the interval thanks to tries by Willie Manu and Epalahame Lauaki. Long added a third try after the interval before Tom Briscoe scored a breakaway fourth.
Saints rallied with tries by Matt Gidley and Chris Flannery but their comeback was quashed by Kirk Yeaman's late try for Hull, their fifth of the evening.
With Leeds Rhinos losing at home to Castleford Tigers on Friday evening, this season's Super League could well be the most open ever.