After 224 appearances for Super League team St Helens,[5] and having won a number of Championships and Challenge Cups with them, he moved to Sydney for the 2012 NRL season.

[citation needed] Graham played for St Helens from the interchange bench in their 2006 Challenge Cup Final victory against Huddersfield.

Then-Great Britain coach Brian Noble selected Graham in a friendly against New Zealand earlier in 2006 in the Castlemaine XXXX Test in which he made a try scoring début at Knowsley Road.

St Helens reached the 2006 Super League Grand final to be contested against Hull FC, and Graham played from the interchange bench in Saints' 26–4 victory.

As 2006 Super League champions, St Helens faced 2006 NRL Premiers the Brisbane Broncos in the 2007 World Club Challenge.

[citation needed] On 27 April 2011 it was confirmed by club officials that St Helens joint captain Graham would join NRL side the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs when his contract expires at the end of the 2011 season.

[12][13] He played 26 games in his début NRL season and was part of the Canterbury team which lost the Grand Final to Melbourne Storm.

Graham denied the charge but despite inconclusive video footage[14] was widely condemned and subsequently suspended for 12 matches by the NRL Judiciary in a hearing lasting ten minutes.

[15][16] After Canterbury captain Michael Ennis was ruled out of the 2014 NRL Grand Final due to a foot injury, Graham along with teammate Trent Hodkinson were named co-captains of the Bulldogs for the match.

[20] In round 21 of the 2019 NRL season, Graham played his 400th first grade game as St. George Illawarra defeated the Gold Coast 40–28 at Kogarah Oval.

[24] Graham played in the 2020 Super League Grand Final which St Helens won 8–4 in dramatic circumstances at the KCOM Stadium in Hull.

He went on to make another three Great Britain appearances which would all come in the 2007 All Golds Tour before the nation would be ceased and split up into three countries: England, Scotland and Wales.

James would go on to play for England in one more fixture, against Wales in Doncaster, before being selected in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup team.