The long,long wait for World Club Challenge glory was nothing compared to the 55-hour journey home for St Helens - plus the Rooster they have looked at.
A Lewis Dodd field goal in golden-point extra time handed the Super League champions another treasured piece of silverware.
The man wearing the St Helens No.9 jersey on Saturday evening will run out for game No.523 for the club. So what keeps James Roby going,and going,and going?
James Roby has played a mind-boggling 522 Super League games for St Helens,a period in which he attracted plenty of interest from NRL clubs.
The miserable conditions back home in the north of England were a distant memory for St Helens players as walked the Manly promenade under brilliant sunshine.
Monday is the 25th anniversary of the creation of the National Rugby League – the organisation born out of the Super League-ARL war. In that quarter of a century,has the game learnt anything?
The NRL remains keen to take a competition game to the United States,but ran out of time to do so for 2023.
Panthers officials were informed on Monday they will host the World Club Challenge against St Helens in February.
Two decades after John Hopoate copped a 12-match ban for actions described as ‘disgusting’,Corey Norman has been hit with Super League’s most severe charge.
English winger Jack Johnson,who had to have a testicle removed after a training ground accident,says he’d love to play league in Australia after he recovers.
He helped save rugby league and turned one car dealership into a $2 billion fortune. But it’s never been just about the money – it’s also about loyalty.