St Helens legend James Roby will continue his association with the club following his retirement as a player after being named leadership, culture and performance coach.
Roby’s 551st and final game for St Helens came in October 2023 as he ended his 20-year playing career, during which he won six Super League titles, four Challenge Cups, eight League Leaders’ Shields and two World Club titles with Saints.
The 38-year-old’s new role will see him closely affiliated with the first-team playing squad as part of head coach Paul Wellens’ staff but he will also have responsibilities within other areas of the club.
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A heartbroken Roby gave his final post-match interview after St Helens’ loss at Catalans Dragons in the Super League play-offs
Roby told St Helens’ website: “First and foremost I’m another coach around the place. I’ll be taking the lead on the things we do as a team that deal with our values, our culture, and the leadership aspect of that.
“I’ll be mentoring some of the players to a degree, and from a performance mindset, I’ll be doing individual one-on-one coaching where we will focus on people as an individual, trying to just squeeze a little bit more out of them if we can by a different approach.
“St Helens is home for me and I’ve had a very lucky 20-year career, come to the end of that, and it is a little bit scary at times. You think about what’s next and what to go into and I explored a lot of different possibilities and opportunities.
“But in the end, this role became available. To stay in the environment that I know, I’m very familiar with all the staff, and all the players, it’s a very easy transition for me as a retiring player.
“This is also a role that I’m really passionate about. It’s a role where I really want to add value and make a positive difference. I’m ambitious, just like I was as a player.
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Roby was given a guard of honour after his final home game for St Helens
“I’m very open to learning, I know that I’ve got a lot of sort of upskilling to do and things that I’ll learn on the go or on the job but I’m welcoming that challenge and embracing it.
“The challenge of working with these professional athletes day in and day out, trying to squeeze a little bit more out of them, that extra percent, it really excites me.
“We’ve got a very strong and stable culture that has been developed over many, many years and if you look at our trophy cabinet, this club is built on success.
“It’s built on hard work, and honesty, there are a lot of attributes that go into it and good people make good cultures. Part of my job will be to maintain that.”
St Helens CEO Mike Rush added: “It’s been in the works for a long time. There is no doubting how much James loves St Helens and to have him continue to be part of the club and look to improve our players on and off the field is an ideal fit.
“There were several avenues that James could have chosen after finishing his playing career, so we’re delighted to keep him. I am more than sure his work will be highly beneficial for the Saints.”
