ROBY TARGETING 4TH TITLE IN ROW AS IDEAL FINALE
JAMES ROBY has vowed to bow out of Super League by turning another unlikely dream into a reality.
The St Helens hooker has won every honour in the game multiple times over in his glittering 19-year-career.
But the 36-year-old name will live long in rugby league folklore if he achieves one more target.
And it is that thought, of leading St Helens to a record fourth successive Super League title, that is stoking the unquenchable fire in his belly.
He said: “Four titles on the trot has never been done so that would be a brilliant, and fantastic way for me to go out. I won’t put a stamp on it yet but in my mind I’ve accepted this is my last season.
“I plan to really savour it and enjoy it but I am definitely playing on for the right reasons.
“I still have a lot of motivation and desire and I’m feeling relatively good even though it takes me a big longer to recover and I’m carrying more aches and pains. It helps having had so much success and it was pretty special to be crowned champions for the third year running. Only Leeds have done that before and in the whole of world sport you don’t see that happen often.
“But now our target is to win four back-to-back. I don’t see any reason why we can’t carry on. Hopefully come finals time we will be firing on all cylinders.”
Roby has won five Grand Finals (above with trophy), four Challenge Cups, one World Club Challenge, seven League Leaders Shields and been named in the Dream Team six times.
He is a Man of Steel winner and twice lifted the Harry Sunderland trophy as Grand Final man of the match.
But Roby knows his days are numbered and is happy to help Saints and boss Kristian Woolf nurture his successor – even though he plans to push him hard. Much is expected of Aussie Joey Lussick, who signed from Parramatta after a successful spell at Salford.
But Roby warned: “That will give me extra motivation. Joey’s a fantastic player and I want him to come in as if he’s trying to take my shirt. We both want to play and it’s Kristian Woolf’s dilemma as to how much playing time we both get.”