Two poor pre-season performances had raised the spectre of the Warriors maintaining their dismal run of form from last season, so Saturday's night's 16-10 win over the Broncos in Dunedin was a welcome boost of confidence.
Slideshow: Warriors v Broncos in Dunedin
It does not mean the Warriors are going to storm to the title - few titles are won in February, after all - but it will make preparing for the NRL season a little easier.
''I don't think we were suffering any issue with confidence,'' Elliott said, referring to the Warriors' losing streak, which began long before his appointment.
''I feel like we've still got a bit of work to do. But we've got a couple of weeks to do that now.
''It's nice for the boys to get a little bit of reward for the work they've put in. I thought defensively, we were outstanding tonight, which was really pleasing. We've still got some work to do with the ball, though.''
Indeed they do. The Warriors were nothing short of poor with the ball in hand in the first half. They stumbled, they dropped, they pushed passes - it was ugly stuff.
Add in a limited kicking game and a struggle to combat a Broncos backline spearheaded by the lethal Justin Hodges, and it was a wonder the Warriors were able to take a 2-0 lead with a penalty on the stroke of halftime.
That they weren't trailing by about 20 points was thanks to technology. Four times the Broncos ''scored'' a try, and four times they were denied by the man upstairs. A fifth denial followed shortly after the break.
Most of the decisions seemed fair, although it was a shame Hodges could not get reward for his spectacular, Superman-style, one-handed touchdown.
''I thought he got every call right,'' was Elliott's wry summation of the video referee's performance.
''A lot of the tries were disallowed because we had guys in the frame. Our guys had put pressure on to create the error.''
The Warriors' defence, led by the indefatigable Ben Matulino, was certainly immense.
There was much to like, too, about the performance of newcomer Todd Lowrie. The former Melbourne Storm forward opened with a tasty shoulder charge on Broncos halfback Peter Wallace, quickly added a bustling run and offload, and scored a try as the Warriors took control of the game in the final quarter.
Lowrie was the Warriors' best on the night - ''by a fair streak'', according to his coach - and his recruitment looks to be a sound piece of business.
Jerome Ropati made a long-awaited comeback from injury, but had few opportunities, while halfback Shaun Johnson left with an elbow injury and is in serious doubt for the season opener.
Glen Fisiiahi showed his silky running skills, and Pita Godinet gave the side direction when he entered the game. Godinet, who was a late addition to the interchange, also featured in two tries with a neat grubber and a slick pass.
In all, it was a reasonable debut for top rugby league in Dunedin. Elliott was certainly impressed with the community and the covered stadium.
''What a fantastic facility, and the crowd was great,'' he said.
''Dunedin has been fantastic. A reflection of that was the spirit of the crowd. The whole atmosphere round the city is a credit to the place.''
The Warriors' opening NRL game is against the Parramatta Eels, in Sydney on March 9.
NRL pre-season
The scores
Warriors 16
Manu Vatuvei, Glen Fisiiahi, Todd Lowrie tries; Shaun Johnson pen, Pita Godinet goal
Broncos 10
Lachlan Maranta, Justin Hodges tries; Scott Prince goal
Halftime: Warriors 2-0.
Crowd: 15,345.
The five stars
Todd Lowrie. Went looking for work in his Warriors debut, made one big break, scored a try and put in an early shoulder charge to get the crowd excited.
Pita Godinet. Was a late addition to the Warriors bench and had a big impact. Straightened the attack and created two tries.
Justin Hodges. The Broncos centre showed his absolute class with some sparkling all-round play and scored the final try.
Ruben Wiki. The retired Warrior-turned-trainer showed magnificent pace and style to level a streaker at halftime.
Television match official. Or do they call it the video referee in rugby league? Bernard Sutton did sterling work to reject five Broncos tries.
