The Saints goalkeeper produced a brilliant performance in the top of the table match, pulling off a string of quality saves to help his side to a 3-2 win at Bob Roach Field.

Though Newton's class as a goalkeeper has long been an asset to the Saints, his performance drew praise from co-captain Tyler Willott.

"He got my three points today, I thought he played really well and he's just solid for us back there," he said.

"It's always nice that if a couple of your guys get beaten he pulls off a save, he's just solid."

The match was fitting of a first verses second clash as the Saints took an early 2-0 lead, Storm fought back to square it up, then emerging talent Oli Bestwick scored the match winner with a tick over 13 minutes to go.

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Though the result doesn't quite seal St Pat's the minor premiership, it now holds an eight-point gap over Storm with three games remaining.

"It was a very intense game, I was buggered. Though you're not touching the ball very often you do a lot of work in a game like that, yeah it was a very hard game," Willott said.

"I was really proud of the way the boys were able to pick themselves up after Lithgow scored those two goals, we composed ourselves and came away with the win."

The game was just 50 seconds old when Jaden Ekert tucked in a cross on the left post for the Saints.

By quarter-time the hosts led 2-0 as Riley Hanrahan found the mark as well, but even with the lead the Saints had plenty of defensive work to do.

Newton had made a reflex stick save in the opening quarter to deny a Nic Milne drag flick from a penalty corner, and five minutes into the second period he pulled off a diving save to shut down Greg Nelson.

But Storm kept up its pressure and finally the goals came. Firstly Nelson found the mark from a scramble in the circle then Milne's low and hard shot from a penalty corner slammed into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Storm could very well have had the lead at the break too - with six seconds left on the clock another Newton stick save kept out a Nathan Marshall attempt.

There was no addition to the scoreline in the third quarter, but it was not through lack of trying.

Newton held out a testing Taylor Dolbel penalty corner effort, Lithgow goalkeeper James Luck blocked Cody Sherman's effort set up by a brilliant Prakash Titheradge long ball, and Hanrahan hit the post.

It took a touch from Bestwick to hand the Saints the win, turning in a Blake Davis cross two minutes into the final quarter.

"That game we played against them at the start of the season they scored really early on, in the first minute, so that was a point I mentioned to the boys before this game. I really wanted to start intense and prove a point in the first couple of minutes," Willott said.

"We did that, we came out and put two goals on really quickly. So that was really pleasing."

Pat's will play its three remaining games - against Orange Wanderers, Parkes and Storm - away from home.

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