SAINTS centre Kevin Naiqama celebrated his first wedding anniversary by accumulating another ring - a Grand Final winner's one - after playing his part in the triumph at Old Trafford.

And he puts that down executing a game plan to "run through" Salford and ensure that the team got its reward after finishing clear top this season.

The 30-year-old Fijian test skipper, who was named in the Dream Team, was delighted to cap his first season in England with silverware.

Speaking after the game, Naiqama said: "To get the win in the end was a reward for all the boys’ hard work.

"It is something that all the teams in Super League set their eyes on so to achieve it is really rewarding.

"We wanted to start like we did against Wigan and that is what we trained to do.

"We know we have got the talent to play and shift the ball, but we also have the strength to go through teams.

"That is what we looked to do with Salford.

"I am happy we got the result in the end."

Saints led 12-0 before Salford hit back after a momentary lapse - but that was soon corrected, with Saints re-asserting their grip on the game after half time and once Mark Percival had collected his own diagonal kick through to score there was always only going to be one winner.

"We switched off for one moment in defence and it cost us," Naiqama said.

"If you switch off against a quality team like Salford they make you pay.

"We fixed that and got on with the job.

"That was the game plan – we wanted to play through them, not around them.

"We wanted to go set for set and proved that we were the better team."

There was a lot of backing for Salford ahead of the game after their march up to table to third and the impressive way they dispatched Castleford and Wigan to reach the final.

Added to that Jackson Hastings had won the Steve Prescott Man of Steel and there had been grumbles away from St Helens when Salford boss Ian Watson had not been crowned coach of the year.

That provided the backdrop to the days ahead of the Grand Final - with all the talk about the opposition, rather than the League Leaders Shield winners.

Naiqama said: "There was a lot of build up for Salford and their fairytale ending to the season, but we knew that they couldn’t control what happens on the field.

"We couldn’t wait to get out there and we executed it really well.

"For us it is rewarding and it has proved some critics wrong.

"We went about our business really quietly.

"We don’t do it for the accolades but to finally get this reward at the end of the season is pretty surreal.

"It will take me a while to process it – but I am just glad that we finally got that win."

Delighted for the team, he did also have special praise for the supporters who seemed as unwilling to leave the Stretford End as the players the pitch.

"Our fans are unreal.

"I truly believe we have the best supporters in Super League.

"They have been through it all, thick and thin and have been a big part of us, home and away at every game in number.

"We love our fans and it is great that we can finally give them something back as well," he said.