Yates’ verdict: St Helens underline World Club Challenge credentials with St George Illawarra Dragons win

Saints were on cloud nine after their 30-18 demolition of St George Illawarra Dragons at the WIN Stadium on Saturday but they will have already been brought down to earth by new boss Paul Wellens and reminded of the sporting phase: You are only as good as your last game.

Make no mistake this coming Saturday’s World Club Challenge against holders Penrith Panthers at the BlueBet Stadium will be a different kettle of fish but the Betfred Super League champions cannot be under-estimated by any stretch of the imagination.

Of course, the Panthers will be red-hot favourites - backed by their vociferous fans and enjoying home advantage - but St Helens have a reputation of making a mockery of any pre match odds and will need to execute their game plan to perfection if they don’t want to return home empty-handed.

“I was very happy with the plan tonight and felt the lads were brilliant,” declared 42-year-old Wello. “I thought everyone put their hands up to be fair. There were a few who impressed me and I thought Alex Walmsley was excellent in the way that he started the game. When Big Al is in that mood he is very hard to handle.

“I also felt Konrad Hurrell and Curtis Sironen were great but the stand out player for me was Sione Mata’utia. He played long minutes and really stood up for us.”

Winger Tommy Makinson said: “We face a colossal task against the Panthers whose record over the past few years is outstanding, but you can never write-off the Saints and we will be giving everything we’ve got on the day.”

The 2018 international player of the year also had time to acknowledge the large number of Saints’ supporters in the crowd against St George and how most had spent their hard-earned cash to travel to the other side of the world.

He said: “Seeing so many of our fans in the crowd definitely inspired the lads and there are still some 300 travelling as I speak.”

Joe Batchelor was pictured in a surgical boot after a game in which he only got a few minuteson the park. Wellens said: “He was put in a boot by the physios more so as a precaution than anything else. We will get him checked out, but Joe is pretty confident there is no serious damage.”

England international Morgan Knowles missed the encounter due to feeling under the weather but will be back for ‘the big one.’