St Helens legend James Roby granted huge award

The 2024 Super League campaign will certainly have a different feel to it as it will be the first since 2003 not to feature James Roby, highlighting the incredible longevity of the Saints legend – something that he’s been rightfully granted an award for.

Roby represented the Red vee on an incredible 551 times, smashing the Super League appearance record during his career, whilst also lifting an impressive 20 pieces of silverware with the club.

His decision to hang up the boots saw him call time at the end of the 2023 season but the fairy-tale ending wasn’t to be with Saints crashing out to a last minute moment of Sam Tomkins magic in the play-off semi-finals.

The incredible grace and humility that Roby showed in defeat that night perhaps highlighted why many consider him to be the greatest that Super League has ever seen, something former teammate James Graham has argued earlier this week.

Despite the boots being hung up the hooker is still getting plenty of recognition and he has now been granted a special award within St Helens, the highest that a council can hand to someone.

Alongside three others, Roby received the Freedom of the Borough last night, 30th November 2023, in recognition of the incredible services to the borough of St Helens.

Other recipients including darts world champion Michael Smith, MP Marie Rimmer and the Duke of Lancaster Regiment.

Speaking after having been granted Freedom of the Borough, Roby said: ““Thank you to the council and everyone associated with granting me with this award. I understand how privileged I am to be in this position and what an honourable select group of people have been up for this award in the past. It’s a huge honour for myself and my family. You don’t achieve anything in life without the support of others and I’d like to thank my family and most notably my wife Natasha, she’s been by my side for many years and the majority of my career at St Helens, and I’d like to think that’s probably why I’m standing in this position today.

“Everybody at St Helens (rugby league club) has shown me nothing but support and encouraged me and given me a platform to grow as a person and develop and luckily I’ve been successful in my rugby league career and generally thank you to the good people of St Helens as well. It’s been a great journey, a great 20 years at St Helens and I’m very proud to receive this award in the great company of the other people who have received this honour.”