CAIRNS Saints had the ice machine working overtime after Saturday's bruising encounter against Manunda at Watsons Oval. 

But nothing eases the pain of a battered body more than the satisfaction of winning.

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The Saints proved again they are the benchmark of the AFL Cairns competition this season with a 22.10 (142) to 12.15 (87) victory against the reigning premiers in round 15.

While the Saints’ winning margin was ultimately comfortable, it was paid for with physical pain in the opening two quarters.

The ferocity of some of the early collisions would not have looked out of place on a rugby league field with a few incidents sure to come under scrutiny from the AFL Cairns tribunal.

But Saints player-coach Mark Kennedy said it was the type of game his team needed with the start of the finals series just over a month away.

"I was pretty happy with the way the Saints boys maintained the team’s style of play and discipline," he said.

"They (the Hawks) pretty much won the physical battle in that (first) half, while we’d won on the scoreboard.

"I wanted us to come out and win the scoreboard and physical battle (in the second half) and I believe we did."

While the Hawks boasted the superior muscle, they did not have the finesse or legs to match it with the Saints in the final two quarters.

With midfielder Gareth Hose acting like a ball magnet in the centre of the park and forward Jason Eagle (six goals) marking strongly in the square, the Saints’ halo shone brightly in the fading afternoon light.

The ladder-leaders’ triumph halted a run of four straight wins for the Hawks, who remain fourth on the ladder.

Hawks coach Michael Purcell said Saturday’s match was a good gauge of where his side was at.

"Last time we played them they beat us by 30 goals. Today we went down by nine," he said.

"We have improved but we’ve still got a fair bit to go to compete with them at that level."

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