FORGET about that other incident, the sight of Paul Wellens dropping to his knees at the final hooter should go down as the iconic image of the 2014 Grand Final.

Wellens’ reaction was understandable. For in one tough, absorbing, physically and emotionally draining 80 minutes the Saints had once and for all buried the Old Trafford hoodoo and kicked down the door to herald a bright new era.

As tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of CEO Mike Rush you could see all those bitter memories of five Grand Final losses being washed away – a feeling echoed among players, staff, board and especially the fans.

Saints had not been given a snowball in hell’s chance of winning the Grand Final this year after their bright start to the campaign was derailed by injuries to key players Luke Walsh, Jon Wilkin and Jonny Lomax.

But critics who mocked Saints’ chances and predicted “the most embarrassing and one-sided final in Super League history” were made to eat humble pie.

And for departing coach Nathan Brown it turned into a fairytale ending and also allowed him to tag Grand Final winning coach to the top of his CV.

But Brown was full of praise for his senior professionals and their winning culture that had contributed to this special chapter in the club’s history, not least his triumphant skipper.

Speaking on Monday, after the game had really sunk in, Brown said: “For me the game and the reaction to it summed up what it means to people like Wello playing in his tenth Grand Final.

“He is a St Helens boy and knows what this team means to this town.

“There are a lot of people on a limited budget living in St Helens and here they have their family, their job and their team. That is what their lives revolve around and the players that have come through it they know what it means, too.”

Saints, bereft of half backs following Ben Flower’s appalling attack on Lance Hohaia, had a one man advantage for 78 minutes and slowly ground Wigan down. But Brown never thought the game was safe until the closing minute.

He said: “It was only when Jordan Turner found touch with a minute to go that I thought it was ours. Wigan are a good team but I knew they were not going to score twice in a minute.

“When I looked over with three and half minutes to go I saw Rushy was crying. He was confident it was already in the bag, as was Keiron.

“I think the culture of the club is why we won it.

“We have Robes, Wello and Wilko here and because they played in that great era they have belief which they instil in the rest of the team.

“It is ‘we are the Saints and we are going to win no matter what obstacles are there in our way’.”

Although the search is now on for a new head coach, Brown will leave a golden legacy for his successor as he heads back to Australia.

“It is a good club – and a wonderful organisation I can only see it getting better and better. With the chairman Eamonn McManus and Mike Coleman building the ground, the town loves the team and the feeling is mutual.

“I have built good friendships over here – in both towns – and will miss that.

“St Helens is a brilliant club and I have got a lot out of this club and it has done plenty for me. Hopefully I have put something back. I am glad we came, but also glad we are going home.

“It is fitting how it has turned out like a fairytale, winning the Grand Final in all that adversity,” he said.