James Roby

Man of Steel in 2007, ‘Robes’ learnt from the great Keiron Cunningham to become one of the World’s best hookers.

Despite his diminutive stature he plays as if he is six inches taller and twenty kilograms heavier!

His dummy runs lay the platform for the ‘go-forward’ at the club and he has a great turn of pace.

He made his Saints debut in March 2004 aged 18 and his inexorable rise saw him represent Great Britain before his 21st birthday, an achievement made even more remarkable by the fact that he had a low-key junior record.

2007 saw Robes become the country’s best impact player – a feat which continued throughout 2008 and the World Cup.

He took over from Cunningham in 2011 and became the Club’s top metre maker and tackling machine as well as being able to play for 80 minutes – making him the best pound for pound player in Super League.

And that still is the case as his eye-watering stats continue to surprise.

60 tackles, 200 metres per game are the norm, not the exception, and he has been unlucky to miss out on the Man of Steel title more than once.

James is a great ambassador for the club as its captain and will continue to be at its helm for years to come.

In January 2019 James signed a new 3 year deal to keep him at the club until the end of 2021. Although he was ruled out for a number of weeks due to groin surgery which subsequently meant he missed the Great Britain tour, ‘Mr Consistent’ did play over 20 times and he had the honour of lifting the Super League trophy at Old Trafford as captain.

2020 Robes did it again – leading Saints to another crown. He was even named Harry Sunderland Winner after a Man of the Match display in the Grand Final. Has there been a better player in the Super League era?