Sky Sports are set to show two special documentaries about a pair of Super League legends who have retired at the end of 2023.
Sadly neither Wigan Warriors and Catalans Dragons legend Sam Tomkins nor St Helens stalwart James Roby ended their career with Grand Final glory, but they both ended amazing careers at the end of 2023.
According to RugbyLeagueonTV.com, a special 90 minute programme will be broadcast to celebrate Tomkins’ career on Friday 22nd December prior to a special on James Roby’s career on Christmas Eve at 17:30.
James Roby played his 20th and final season for St Helens in 2023. The former Blackbrook amateur has been with the club for his entire professional career and has made more than 500 professional appearances with St Helens, England and Great Britain. He is a six-time Super League Grand Final winner, four-time Challenge Cup winner, a World Club Challenge winner in 2007 and 2023 and was also named Super League Man of Steel in 2007 and has been named in the Super League Dream Team seven times.
As for Tomkins, having progressed through the Wigan Youth Development System, Sam Tomkins won three Super League Grand Finals, two Challenge Cup Finals and two League Leaders Trophies with the Cherry and Whites. Named Super League Young Player of the Year award twice in 2009 and 2010, he then featured in five successive Super League Dream Team’s and was the 2012 Man of Steel. Tomkins scored 158 tries in 186 games for Wigan.
He left his hometown club to join the NRL and the New Zealand Warriors in 2014, scoring 14 tries in 37 NRL games before returning to Wigan after two seasons Down Under.
He joined the Dragons in 2019. Named in the 2021 Dream Team, he has also been named Man of Steel and won the League Leaders Shield with the club. He scored 28 tries and 382 points in 83 games with the Dragons since his arrival at the club.
Captain of the England team, he represented his country on 29 occasions, scoring 18 tries.
Both men were special players and deserve to be celebrated as the final years of their careers come to an end this Christmas and we go into 2024 which will be the first year without either player in Super League since 2003.
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