Saints are on drop of the world

DODD'S GOLDEN POINT SEALS HISTORIC WIN AS WELSBY INSISTS: I KNEW WE COULD BEAT THEM

- DAVE CRAVEN

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.”