Sculthorpe set for Saints role - Sport in brief - Evening Standard
       

Sculthorpe set for Saints role

Former Great Britain captain Paul Sculthorpe is set to be offered an off-the-field role with St Helens after bringing down the curtain on his illustrious playing career.

The goalkicking loose forward announced his retirement from the game at the age of 30 following the latest in a catalogue of injuries that have plagued him over the last three years of his career.

St Helens chairman Eamon McManus led the tributes to the club captain, saying: "Scully has been a colossus of the game, both at club and national level."

He added: "We are blessed to have had a player and a person of such high calibre at the club over the last decade.

"He has been instrumental to both our success, image and reputation. He is too high quality a person and too rare a commodity to be lost to the club."

Sculthorpe, who has been restricted to just 26 appearances in the last two years due to knee, Achilles tendon and shoulder injuries, was told in mid-season that St Helens would not offer him a new contract and proposed moves to Salford and Wakefield fell through.

"The last three years have been a horrendously difficult time for me in terms of injuries and quite simply, I want to finish when I am on top of the game," he said.

"I've had a great career and I have no qualms with retiring. I have a young family and I want to look after my body so I can look after them."

Despite the stop-start nature of his last two seasons, Sculthorpe will be recognised as one of the greatest players of his generation and will always be synonymous with a golden era in the history of St Helens.

With 1,246 points from his 261 appearances, Sculthorpe is ninth in St Helens all-time list of scorers.

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