St Helens claim 'unbelievable' Club Challenge win

1 year ago 110

English Champions St Helens person held disconnected a resurgent Penrith Panthers broadside to triumph the World Club Challenge successful aureate point, 13-12.

After keeping the back-to-back NRL champions scoreless heading into the 2nd half, the Panthers lodged a stunning comeback to adjacent the lucifer astatine the last siren.

But, it wasn't meant to beryllium arsenic St Helens halfback Lewis Dodd drilled the all-important tract extremity to assertion bragging rights successful the yearly rugby league competition.

"It is conscionable unbelievable mate… everyone was penning america off," Dodd told Fox League post-match.

St Helens opened the scoring done fullback Jack Welsby.

Moments later, former NRL prima Konrad Hurrell charged implicit the effort enactment from 10 metres retired to widen the English challengers' lead.

Lightning concisely kept the players successful the sheds astatine BlueBet Stadium arsenic a thunderstorm rolled implicit Penrith, creating unsafe conditions for the teams to instrumentality to the field.

It took 52 minutes for the Panthers to people - the breakthrough coming disconnected the backmost of a chased down footwear from halfback Nathan Cleary to centre Izack Tago.

With nether 2 minutes near successful the 2nd half, Brian To'o was capable to volition himself implicit the enactment arsenic Jack Welsby dropped a Stephen Crichton weaponry - breaking the hearts of thousands of St Helens fans' successful the process.

Cleary scored the captious conversion from 10 metres successful from the sideline, successful slippery conditions, to adjacent the people astatine 12-12 and unit aureate point.

During other time, Crichton dropped the shot successful a tackle during Penrith's 2nd acceptable - the punishment mounting St Helens up successful the cleanable tract presumption to motorboat an attack.

Dodd was past capable to footwear his broadside to victory.

"Dodd has won the World Club Challenge for St Helens, if you person immoderate doubts what it means, person a look astatine the absorption from the St Helens players," Andrew Voss said successful commentary for Fox League.

The triumph marks St Helens' 3rd World Club Challenge title.

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