Saints win title

SYDNEY: Master coach Wayne Bennett secured his place as the greatest by delivering St George Illawarra an NRL premiership with a 32-8 grand final win over the Sydney Roosters to end a 31-year title drought.
On an emotional night at ANZ Stadium where the Dragons exorcised the ghosts of finals past, the joint venture overcame a stubborn Roosters outfit to silence the critics who had labelled them chokers.
Having arrived at the club last year with six titles under his belt and a plan to deliver the Dragons a premiership in his three years at the club – Bennett accomplished his mission in two for the Dragons’ first title since 1979, before the merger with Wollongong Steelers.
“It’s huge for the club … it’s been a long time coming for them,” Bennett said.
“They’re a great club and they’ve had a lot of disappointment over a long period of time, they’ve been much maligned.
“For me personally it’s all about them, I’m so pleased for them.”
Asked to compare the feat to his titles with the Broncos, Bennett said: “The difference here is it’s been 31 years since they won a premiership, in Brisbane we went three or four years maximum after we won it in 1992.
“There was a lot more emotion out there tonight for different reasons and for whatever reason it’s been so long coming.
“They’re much maligned , they feel the pain the players, the criticism.
“It was a very emotional victory lap there tonight.”
There was emotion in the sheds too where tears flowed as freely as the champagne.
Through it however, the players to a man pointed to Bennett as the difference.
“Greatest coach of all time – full stop,” five-eighth Jamie Soward, who silenced his own critics in a coming-of-age performance, said. – AAP