JAMES Roby is showing no signs of slowing down as he completed his 18th pre-season in the Super League, but that has not stopped coach Kristian Woolf from throwing down a challenge to the squad's younger hookers to start putting on the pressure.

The Saints skipper was phenomenal again last year, with his freshness for the run-in being one of the few silver linings from the dark Covid cloud lockdown.

And after the 36-year-old looked shap in pre-season, the Saints boss expects another top-drawer year at dummy half from the veteran number nine with the 'No Vacancy' sign well and truly still up.

Woolf explained that Roby has actually relished the length of time this off-season has afforded him - and that could pay dividends again.

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He said: "He has done 18 pre-seasons and some players would have every reason not to find it enjoyable and not throw everything into it, because the daily routine can be tough and can be a bit monotonous at times.

"Robes has been exceptional and I get the sense that he has really enjoyed it.

"It has been a little bit different in the way we have tried to put it together and he has enjoyed that.

"He has also never had a lot of time to work on his body, because he has played internationals, or has been recovering – like last year - from surgery.

"He has had a real opportunity this year to work on his body fitness wise and strength wise and that will help him through the season."

Roby missed the early weeks of 2020 after returning from surgery but was used wisely, and was not exposed to the the full 80 until the play-offs.

"We handled him quite well last year and if you look at the way he played in the big games at the end of the year that suggests that he maybe felt the same," he said.

"That 20 or 30 minutes off can be the toughest and often take the biggest toll on the body.

"The more that we can do that, the better.

"He is not going to play every single game for us this year and is definitely not going to be playing 80 minutes every week.

"But by the same token, when we get to the big games we want him to be there and be able to play 80 then.

"We are going to have to manage him and he will be a big part of how we do that."

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Waiting in the wings are Josh Eaves and Aaron Smith, who have both impressed Woolf with their progress.

"Aaron Smith has improved immensely from this time last year – and I would say the same from Josh Eaves.

"What I want from them is for one of them to put some pressure on and want to try and take the place of James Roby rather than wait for James to retire.

"If they have got that mindset, that is how we will get the best out of James as well as those players themselves.

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"At some stage that is going to have to be the case, but I can only go on what I see at the moment.

"I have no doubt that James Roby will get through this year really well.

"He won the medal for the best player on the ground in the Grand Final last year and had a terrific grand final. That speaks where he is at at the minute."

Every Saints coach since Nathan Brown has had to have in the back of their minds what what will happen when the Cunningham-Roby dynasty comes to an end - but none of them has had to deal with it.

One day that will happen, but for now Saints will continue to inspired and directed by the former Blackbrook Junior who spurned the NRL overtures to be - like his predecessor - a one club man.

Woolf added: "James is not showing me any signs that he is going to slow down this year and I have no doubt that he will be playing good footy again.

"At the end of the day it comes back to him and how he feels, how his body feels and how he feels mentally.

"And he will be given as much time as he wants to make that decision as well."

Pictures: Copyright: Bernard Platt