Academy graduate Sam Royle has signed a 12 month extension which will see the 22-year-old stay with us into the 2023 season.
Royle has had the unique privilege of captaining the Club at every level – from the Scholarship and Academy to the Reserves and the first team – as a young Saints side narrowly lost out to Castleford Tigers earlier this season.
Sam, is a second row from Thatto Heath who he played for from the age of 11. He signed for Saints Scholarship shortly after and progressed through the pathway. He won the Scholarship Player of the Year award in just his second season before moving up to the U19s.
He played for the Academy for three straight years and also represented Lancashire on three occasions against Yorkshire and the Aussie Schoolboys.
Captained Scholarship ✅
Captained Academy ✅
Captained Reserves ✅
Captained First Team ✅Sam Royle – Completed it, mate. ✅ #COYS pic.twitter.com/rbe7tdBwsN
— St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) April 23, 2022
Sam captained the side in 2019 all the way to the Grand Final. His impressive form was rewarded as he picked up the Saints U19s Player of the Year award at the club’s annual awards dinner. He made four appearances for the reserves in 2020 before making his first team debut in 2021 against Salford.
He has since made 5 appearances in 2022 and even captained the Saints in defeat to Castleford.
Royle told saintsrlfc.com: “I am very happy to be here. I want to keep improving and push my way into the team.
“I was really proud to get the opportunity to captain the first team and it wasn’t expected. It was a massive moment for me and my family and it was a bit of payback to them for all their hard work with me too.”
🗣️ REACTION | It may not have been the result we wanted on Friday, but it was a proud day for Reserves captain Sam Royle who skippered the Saints senior side for the first time…👏
Watch in full on Saints TV 👇
📺 https://t.co/FpxoAmklbc #COYS
— St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) April 23, 2022
Head Coach Kristian Woolf added: “We are really happy to keep Sam with us. He is such a good person and trainer. He is extremely intelligent and his work ethic is why he has got to where he has today.
“He understands the game and he has progressed through the Saints system and has worked his way into the first team squad which is a great reward for him.
“A show of his character and personality is the fact he has captained the Club at all levels and him signing with us again for 2023 is great for him and the Club.”
Royle follows the re-signings of Dan Norman, Ben Davies, Konrad Hurrell, Sione Mata’utia, Matty Lees, Jack Welsby and Lewis Dodd as the Club looks to retain our strong squad into 2023.
