St Helens will do everything in their power to keep James Roby at the club following retirement if he wishes to remain in the game, according to their coach Kristian Woolf.
Roby passed a phenomenal landmark on Sunday, making his 455th Super League appearance to break the record previously set by Leeds Rhinos legend Kevin Sinfield, while also scoring a try, to the great acclaim of the St Helens supporters.
That is just the latest great achievement for the Saints captain, who has played over 500 matches in his career – including 43 international caps – and won ten major titles and becoming the 2007 Man of Steel.
Roby, 36, currently plans to hang up his boots at the end of this season but is undecided on what he would like to do afterwards.
He told Rugby League World magazine earlier this year: “There’s a part of me that would love to stay involved in the sport, and there’s a part of me that would want a fresh change and something totally new.”
Saints head coach Woolf says the club would be happy to accommodate Roby if he wanted to remain in the game in any capacity.
That could be coaching or in a different role – Roby already has a Master’s degree in sporting directorship.
“Whenever he does decide to finish, all of us at the club would make every effort to try and keep him around in some sort of role,” Woolf told League Express.
“He’s such a talented bloke and such a valuable bloke to the club that that could be in coaching or any number of areas.
“He’s so well-respected that he could step into a management-type role. He could certainly step into a coaching-type role.
“He’s exceptional as a leader and exceptional in the way he deals with other players, so there’s the capacity for him to take a role in that sort of area as well.”
Woolf said it was those leadership qualities that stood out most when considering the excellence of Roby and how he had reached such a record.
“It sets him apart from any player I’ve worked with, he leads by example,” added Woolf.
“He’s got a metal toughness and drive that seems to be better than anyone else. He gets the most out of himself in every play of every game, and continues to do that.
“Obviously he’s got really good physical abilities as well but that mental drive allows him to do that.”
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