THE image of Paul Wellens sinking to his knees and pounding the Saints badge on his chest is one of the abiding memories of the Grand Final.
The Club’s Captain took home his fifth Championship but this one was easily the sweetest yet.
“I’m one of the fortunate ones in this group as I have experienced winning a final before,” he said. “But I’ve never really felt it like I did on Saturday.
“I’ve watched boys become men over the course of 12 months. The effort and determination within this group should never be underestimated.
“We have been finding a way for last four, five, six weeks and we knew we could grind the result out.
“Wigan were unbelievable and to play with that intensity with 12 men, shows what they are about. Ultimately, we had that little bit too much in terms of desperation and that made the difference.
“We dug deep but if winning a Grand Final was easy everyone would do it. We went into our reserve tank but it was worth it.”
He continued: “I said after the winning the League Leaders’ Shield about that being a catalyst for more success.
“I won’t be around in three, four, five years but I’d like to think this experience for the likes of Tommy Makinson, Jonny Lomax and Mark Percival… I could go on… will stand us in good stead for the future.
“The playing squad may change over the years but what remains is our group of supporters. They have suffered enough at Old Trafford and the win was for them.”
