James Roby: St Helens captain targets fourth Challenge Cup final win
- Published
St Helens beat Hull FC 33-18 in Challenge Cup semi-final
Betfred Challenge Cup - Castleford Tigers v St Helens |
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Venue: Wembley Stadium Date: Saturday, 17 July Kick-off: 15:00 BST |
Coverage: Live on BBC One, listen on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and local radio plus live text on BBC Sport |
St Helens captain James Roby intends to enjoy every minute of Saturday's Challenge Cup final against Castleford, as it could be his Wembley farewell.
The sole survivor from Saints' last triumph in the competition in 2008, only now-Widnes prop Paul Clough and the 35-year-old Roby are still playing.
Although he has three winners medals, a fourth would cap a career which has brought every domestic honour going.
"It's fair to say, I'm at the back end of my career," Roby said.
"You never really know how many finals you're going to get to, so it's definitely an occasion I want to make the most of.
"Hopefully we can do it in the right style."
The side in which Roby emerged during the mid-2000s made the Challenge Cup its domain for a three-year spell, with imported stars such as Jamie Lyon, Matt Gidley and Willie Talau complementing homegrown talent in the shape of James Graham, Paul Sculthorpe and Keiron Cunningham.
Interestingly, that Red Vee side was denied the league title by Leeds and Wigan in Old Trafford showpieces, whereas the current Saints crop have won the last two Grand Finals back to back but have fallen short in the Challenge Cup.
They came closest two seasons ago, when Warrington turned the tables on the red-hot favourites under the Wembley arch to leave then-Saints boss Justin Holbrook empty-handed.
Challenge Cup: Warrington Wolves beat St Helens 18-4 in 2019 final
Dealing with a barren run in any competition has seen Roby having to draw on his vast experience, a very different scenario to the start of his career.
"As a young player I came into a team that was very successful, and I probably took that for granted," said the Whiston-born Great Britain and England international.
"We were riding the crest of the wave, we got to the final three years in a row with one at Twickenham and the other two at Wembley, and I thought this was just going to continue.
"Sport's not like that; it's naïve to think that it will stay that way. There have been a lot of challenges along the way, we've had various defeats that have not put us in that position.
"But we've got to look forward; we can't dwell on the past. We have to be excited about the opportunity in front of us."