ST HELENS will relive their World Club Challenge success of last year in a film that will have its premiere on Tuesday night at the town’s Cineworld complex.
The club travelled to Australia and defeated NRL champions Penrith Panthers to win the World Club Challenge last February.
This 90-minute documentary covers the club’s trip down under, starting with the players and staff getting on the coach at the Totally Wicked Stadium to go to the airport, through to Paul Wellens’ post-match talk with the team at the BlueBet Stadium in Penrith.
After the premiere it will be available to watch online for subscribers to the Saints TV channel.
On Wednesday morning the Saints squad will fly to Cyprus for a pre-season training camp and one of the attendees will be former skipper James Roby, who retired at the end of last season and has now been made the club’s new ‘leadership, culture and performance coach’.
He will support Paul Wellens as the head coach tries to get his side back on the Super League title-winning trail.
Their stranglehold on the crown (four successive Grand Final wins) was broken by a 12-6 play-off semi-final defeat by Catalans Dragons in France in October.
It was the last of Roby’s club-record 551 appearances over 20 seasons, during which he helped Saints win two World Club Challenges, including last year’s dramatic triumph, six titles, eight League Leaders’ Shields and four Challenge Cups.
He also claimed earned 38 international caps and was Super League Man of Steel in 2007 while making the Dream Team on seven occasions.
After the defeat by Catalans, he said: “It’s heartbreaking, and a horrible way to leave the game, but I’m so proud of everything we’ve done.
“I’m forever grateful for everyone who has played a part in my journey, however big or small, but now it’s on to pastures new.”
Those pastures have turned about to be very familiar, as St Helens-born Roby, who had post-season hip surgery.
Saints have home pre-season games against dual-registration partners Swinton (Saturday, January 20) and Salford (Sunday, February 4) before promoted London Broncos visit in the opening round of Super League on Friday, February 16.
