St Helens captain and Super League legend James Roby has spoken about how excited he is to have fans back on Monday as the Super League Champions continue their title defence in front of fans for the first time in 14 months.
The 2007 Man of Steel has been a Super League stalwart and witnessed the heights of the competition. But over the last 14 months he has endured something unimaginable. His St Helens side were forced to defend their Super League crown last season without the support of fans even winning the Grand Final in an empty KCOM Stadium.
When Monday rolls around, St Helens like other clubs will be able to allow 4000 fans into the Totally Wicked Stadium as they take on Salford in a repeat of the 2019 Grand Final. It’s certainly a welcome return and a step in the right direction for both Super League and the country.
It’ll be a massive boost for the Saints who, despite their flawless start, haven’t been as good as some would expect. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Saints produce their best performance of the season thanks to the return of supporters.
Roby, in an interview on the St Helens club website, spoke about just how excited he is about the return of fans: “As players it’s been a bit strange, a bit surreal for us to do it without you. But the time is coming nearer and come Monday we’ll have 4000 fans in here. It’ll be great to see everyone in here and hopefully as much noise as we can. We can’t wait for the day when we can get everybody back because I know it’s been a tough year for everyone involved.”
He’s just the latest Super League star to speak about how glad he is to see fans let back in Stadiums. Just last night Leeds’ Konrad Hurrell spoke about how keen he is to see the famous South Stand back in full voice.
The Saints arguably need fans more than anyone as they go in search of history in 2021. They’re hoping to become only the second team to win three Super League titles in a row. He noted just how important the fans will be to their journey and thanked them for their support over the last year helping the club sustain their pre-lockdown success: “It greatly helps us in our quest to carry on and carry good performances onto the field and get some wins for you.”
