The 11 players leaving St Helens at the end of 2023 season

They are joined by Dan Norman, Jumah Sambou, Lewis Baxter, Dan Hill, Matty Foster, Daniel Moss, Taylor Pemberton and Wesley Bruines.

The club have announced their departures ahead of tonight’s final game of the regular season at home to Hull FC.

Roby and McCarthy-Scarsbrook had already announced their plans to retire, but the other nine will move on to pastures new.

The most high-profile one of those is Tongan test skipper Hopoate, whose tenure at the club has been his hampered by injury that has limited him to 28 appearances over the two years.

However, he has shown his quality and class on both sides of the ball when he has played – with some big moments in last year’s Magic, the 2022 Grand Final and this season’s World Club Challenge win in Australia.

His presence and influence on the squad has always been praised by coaches Kristian Woolf and Paul Wellens – and appreciated by his teammates.

Here is what the club have said of each departing player.

 James Roby - #1135.

Our Club Captain is one of the finest players to ever grace the sport of rugby league and leaves the Saints as the Club’s all-time leader for match appearances with over 540 games played in the famous ‘Red V’.

Since debuting in 2004 at the age of 18, ‘Robes’ excelled at the top level and began earning international honours before even turning 21.

Following in the footsteps of one of the Club’s greatest-ever players Kieron Cunningham, Roby could have easily earned more than one Man of Steel Award (2007) with his herculean efforts being the norm over his incredible twenty-year playing career.

Roby has proudly represented our team and town, earning six Super League titles, eight League Leaders’ Shields, four Challenge Cups, and two World Club Challenges.

James Roby truly is The Greatest of All Time.

Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook - #1186.

The Joker in our pack, the Southern Saint, who joined the Club in 2011 and has since made this Club and the town his home over the past thirteen seasons.

Louie has made over 360 appearances for St.Helens, playing a pivotal role in our modern success on and off the field. The forward showcases a fearless attitude on the field with industrious work in the middle, never giving anything less than 100%.

A true leader who if you don’t see him, you’ll hear him… During his time in the ‘Red V’, LMS earned five Super League championships, four League Leaders’ Shields, a Challenge Cup, and a World Club Challenge title.

Luckily, the man whose name is too long will be staying local and we wish him well as he joins Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service next year.

Will Hopoate - #1266.

Hoppa has been a huge part of the Saints squad over the past two seasons after joining from NRL side Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs ahead of the 2022 season. Whilst unfortunate injuries have hampered his playing time, he has shown both his class and versatility on the field, whilst being a terrific addition to the team’s culture off it.

Will departs the Club come the end of 2023, having played his part in the Saints securing a fourth Super League title in a row last September, and played in the historic World Club Challenge victory over Penrith Panthers in Australia this past February.

From all of us at the Saints, best of luck with your next chapter, Hoppa.

Dan Norman - #1262.

Big Dan joined the Saints ahead of the 2021 season from London Broncos and he made his Club debut in that campaign.

More chances came for Norman to play in 2022 when he made 12 appearances and scored four tries.

During the later stages of this season, with injuries to fellow forwards, Dan has stepped up and led from the front with his efforts.

Jumah Sambou - #1271.

Jumah is an outside back who has starred for our Academy and was one of our Australian touring party in 2019.

As one of our Under 19s in 2019 and 2021, Sambou scored 12 times and in 2022 with the Saints Reserves, he scored seven times in as many matches.

It was a debut to remember for Jumah, as one of seven Saints making his first senior First Team appearance away at Castleford in 2022, scoring a great diving finish in the corner after a sweeping St.Helens move from left to right, a pop-up offload to the winger for him to acrobatically finish.

An injury has sadly ruled Jumah out for a large part of the 2023 season, and we look forward to seeing him get back to 100% soon.

Lewis Baxter - #1274.

Lewis is a proud product of the Saints youth system, having been with the Club since the age of fourteen and coming through both our Scholarship and Academy programmes.

Baxter was part of our Academy side that reached the Grand Final and toured Australia in 2019. In 2021, he was named the Saints’ Under 19s Player of the Year for his fantastic efforts and was justly rewarded with a First Team contract in that year too.

Baxter also made his Super League debut in 2022, as part of a memorable night that saw seven Saints make their maiden senior appearances.

In both 2022 and 2023, Lewis played his part in our Reserves side, who this year are in the Grand Final.

Dan Hill - #1272.

Dan joined the Saints ahead of the 2022 season from Widnes Vikings on a two-year deal.

Versatile in the outside backs, able to play fullback, centre or on the wing. Hill made his senior debut in the ‘Red V’ in the 2022 season, away at Castleford and his other appearance for the First Team was the reverse fixture at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Across both 2022 and 2023, Hill has also featured for our Reserves side, scoring six times.

Matthew Foster - #1257.

Matty is a second-row forward who joined the Club from local side Blackbrook, coming through our youth system and graduating from both the Scholarship and Academy, and was one of our Academy tourists in 2017.

In 2020, Foster received his first senior squad number and made his debut off the bench against Salford that year.

Injuries have unfortunately limited Matty to just one First Team appearance, but in our Academy setup during 2018 and 2019, he was a consistent regular and registered 34 tries in those two seasons.

Foster has also played for the Reserves outfit in 2022 and 2023, with two tries to his name this year.

Daniel Moss - #1273.

Dan has been with the Saints through the Scholarship and the Academy after joining from amateur side Blackbrook.

A pivot who can play at fullback and in the halves, Moss was part of the Saints’ 2019 Australia Academy touring team.

In the Under 19s 2021 season, Dan made fourteen appearances and scored five tries.

Moss made his Super League debut at The Jungle in Castleford in the next season starting at scrum-half, he would make another senior appearance in the same season against Wakefield Trinity.

Moss has featured for the Reserves in both 2022 and 2023, showcasing a strong kicking game in the run-up to the ‘Red V’ reaching the Reserves Grand Final.

Taylor Pemberton - #1275.

Taylor is a hooker who has come through the St.Helens Scholarship and Academy, even being named the Under 16s Player of the Year in 2019, and was a member of the Club’s Academy touring party of Australia in 2019.

Ahead of the 2022 season, Taylor made the move up to First Team and would make his senior debut at Castleford coming off the bench, and his other Super League appearance came at home against Wakefield Trinity in that same year.

During both 2022 and 2023, Taylor has started at #9 for our Reserves, and in the later stages of this campaign, he has impressed whilst on loan at York Knights in their bid to get into the play-offs.

Wesley Bruines.

Wes linked up with St.Helens in November last year following a spell with a development side linked to South Sydney Rabbitohs.

In Derek Hardman’s Reserves this season, Bruines has been strong and elusive on the edges, scoring seven times.

From 2024, Bruines joins Warrington Wolves and the Saints wish him well with the move.