[2] Roberts played for Marist in the Canterbury Rugby League competition.
In 1955 he was first selected for the New Zealand national rugby league team for a tour of Great Britain and France.
He retired from representative football after the 1960 season having played in thirty five games for New Zealand, including thirteen test matches.
[citation needed] Roberts continued to play for Papanui until he retired in 1962.
Roberts was later a player-coach in the New South Wales Country before returning to again coach Canterbury.