Saints are on drop of the world
DODD’S GOLDEN POINT SEALS HISTORIC WIN AS WELSBY INSISTS: I KNEW WE COULD BEAT THEM
JACK WELSBY helped sensational St Helens make history in Australia and fired: “You shouldn’t have written us off.”
The England ace delivered a stunning player-of-the-match performance as the Super League champions shocked NRL premiers Penrith Panthers.
Ice-cool Lewis Dodd nailed an 83rd-minute golden-point drop goal as outstanding Saints became only the second English side ever to win the World Club Challenge Down Under.
They replicated Wigan’s famous effort of beating Brisbane in 1994 and instantly entered rugby league folklore.
But steely Saints, in Paul Wellens’ first game in charge, had been given a massive 24-point start by Aussie bookies despite winning four successive Grand Finals.
Full-back Welsby, who scored Saints’ opener and set up Konrad Hurrell for a 12-0 lead, said: “That’s their own fault isn’t it?
“We’ve done it four times in a row back home and were under no illusions we could come here and do this. We kept quiet about it and fancied ourselves. We proved it. Penrith are an outstanding outfit and were rightly favourites but I knew what we could do. And we’ve done it.”
But Welsby, 21, feared the worst when spilling Stephen Crichton’s kick to allow Brian To’o to score with just 88 seconds of normal time remaining.
World Cup-winner Nathan Cleary held his nerve to slot the conversion and tie a thrilling contest at 12-12.
It reminded Welsby (right) of his costly extra-time blunder which allowed Crichton to slot Samoa’s drop goal winner in England’s World Cup semi-final heartache just three months ago.
“I went through every emotion in that last five minutes,” he conceded. “I thought I’d done it again, knocking on in at the end like I did with England.
“But we’ve got special halfbacks and for Johnny Lomax and Doddy to come up with a play like that after what we’d gone through in that game was unbelievable. It’s just everything we deserved. This is the best club in the world and we’ve proved it tonight.”
Saints had already botched two drop goal attempts from Lomax and Dodd when leading 12-6 late on.
But it was Crichton’s fumble that set up their big chance in extra-time and Dodd nailed it. It was fairytale stuff for the scrum-half, 21, who snapped his Achilles last April and missed the rest of the season.
Dodd said: “I knew that one was going over. It was great work from Al Walmsley to get me a fast play-the-ball. We don’t do stuff for ourselves here. We do it for people around us.”
Welsby made three try-saving tackles to underline his star quality but there were epic performances all over as Saints rattled star-studded Penrith from the off. Captain James Roby is 37 and won Saints’ last World Club Challenge in 2007 but showed he’s still the best hooker on the planet. The game had been put back by almost an hour due to expected high temperatures.
Instead there was a massive downpour and fierce electrical storm which Saints handled with a near perfect first-half display.
Tommy Makinson had slotted a conversion before going off with a head knock so Mark Percival’s penalty made it 12-0 in the 44th minute.
The second half had been delayed for safety reasons as lightning intensified.
When Izack Tago finally scored for Penrith in the 52nd minute, Cleary improving, Saints’ England boys must have thought lightning was going to strike twice when Welsby’s error sent matters into extra-time.
But this brilliant side showed why they are now undeniably one of the greatest in history.
Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo admitted: “To come across from the other side of the world and put on a performance like that, Saints were outstanding.” PENRITH: Tries: Tago, To’o Cons: Cleary (2) ST HELENS: Tries: Welsby, Hurrell Pen: Percival Con: Makinson, Drop Goal: Dodd