Sometimes, you have to hit rock bottom before you can rise again.
Wigan Warriors have learnt that the hard way in recent times, with a grim run of five straight losses hurting them immensely.
But the fightback is bigger than the setback more often than not, and while three straight victories against bottom-half sides do not gloss over the winless run, the manner of this performance suggests the road to recovery is well down the track.
Wigan were good on this night. Wigan were entertaining on this night. You haven't often been able to say that this season. Even when the Warriors were winning, it was a grind, a churn, an ugly victory.
A 13-point margin of victory didn't really reflect Wigan's dominance here. They were far superior, particularly either side of half-time when they found controlled aggression in defence and silky touches in attack.
And hey, maybe Adrian Lam was right about putting Jackson Hastings at halfback after all.
The Wigan boss got a lot of stick for moving the former Man Of Steel away from the halves and in fairness, it hadn't really worked to full effect.
That changed here. Hastings was a class above, assisting three tries on the right before popping up on the left and creating another. Rarely does a pass take your breathe away. Hastings' distribution was just delightful all night.
Maybe this is Wigan's annual end-of-season upturn in form. Let's face it, it's not the first time Wigan have been underwhelming early doors before hitting their straps at the business end of the season.
That notion is premature at present. But it's fair to say things look a whole lot better than they did a month ago.
Wigan now face a critical period, with three games in ten days. With winless Leigh and struggling Salford in that block of games, Wigan are in a position to ascend the table and really build some momentum.
First up is Warrington, the most important game of the three. Simply put, the Wolves will provide the sternest test of Wigan's recent revival, they also give Wigan a platform to really get the ball rolling for the second half of the year.
Whisper it quietly, but Wigan could be beginning to rumble.
