Cup final hero McGuire clear after emergency hospital dash

But the influential half-back has revealed that is what occurred after doctors feared he had punctured his lung during Saturday’s heroic Wembley success against Castleford Tigers.

McGuire suffered the injury in the 72nd minute in a collision with team-mate Paul Aiton.

After lengthy treatment, he 
ignored the searing pain, stayed on and even slotted a drop goal to confirm the 23-10 victory which at last ended his home-town club’s 15-year wait for glory in the famous competition.

However, McGuire, who had lost in three previous finals, told The Yorkshire Post how he was forced to cut short celebrations.

“It was pretty sore after the game,” he said. “The doc checked me out and he was a little worried about my lung and whether I might have punctured it.

“We saw another doctor at Wembley and, the next thing, I’m leaving in an ambulance with the blue flashing lights.

“I felt a bit of a dud. I knew it was hurting, but you know yourself if it’s anything serious. I didn’t think it was, but the doctors said it had to be checked out.

“We got through the London traffic pretty quick, though, with the sirens going; I was nearly back at the hotel before the lads.

“There are a few, sore cracked ribs and when there is that, or cartilage damage, most players just crack on. I’ll see how it settles down over the next few days.

“I’m desperate to play Friday – it’s a big game with league leaders St Helens at home – but at the minute it doesn’t look too good.”

Having finally added the Challenge Cup to six Grand Final winners’ medals and three World Club Challenges, McGuire and many of his long-time Leeds colleagues have at last completed a clean sweep of major honours.

“There was no way I was coming off,” recalled McGuire, whose kicking game and all-round control was crucial in helping defeat their West Yorkshire rivals.

“It was sore, but adrenaline got me through and there was no way I was leaving that pitch.

“I was going to be on it at the end celebrating once we’d won the cup. I made a couple of tackles, but tried to keep out of the way of things where possible and just got the drop goal.

“But I wanted to be part of that special feeling when, after working so hard for 80 minutes, the hooter does actually go.”

McGuire, 31, almost casually mentioned that drop goal yet he nailed it at the end of an exhausting afternoon, in front of 77,000 people, with defenders chasing him down and, of course, while nursing several cracked ribs.

“It was probably as good a feeling as I’ve had from scoring any try in my career,” he said, a statement magnified given he is the leading try-scorer in Super League history with 214, including one which clinched their first Grand Final victory in 2004.

“I did a stupid jump and dance. I lost control a bit and did things I don’t think I meant to do.

“Even though we were already 12 points up, that really sealed it; we knew we’d won and everyone could relax and enjoy the last few minutes.

“Kev (Sinfield) was jumping about, too. He knew they weren’t coming back from that and we were finally getting our hands on that elusive trophy.”

McGuire, who also scored Leeds’s first try, detailed how his team-mates executed Brian McDermott’s game plan to ensure they did not lose a seventh successive Challenge Cup final.

“It was probably as controlled and clinical as we’ve been for a long while,” he said, their pinpoint kicking continually pushing back Castleford, who had no answer either against their formidable, swarming defence.

“Our previous experience of Wembley has always been that it just seems to zap our energy.

“We’ve never worked out why, but come 3pm on a Saturday in August it’s always been the same – that atmosphere takes it out of you.

“It wasn’t actually massively hot this time, but still our plan was not to make any mistakes, put the ball in the corners, force Cas errors and then defend hard.

“We realised how dangerous Castleford are with broken-field runners like Justin Carney and Luke Dorn so, even if the ball wasn’t right in the corner or in touch, it was still not a bad option limiting the chances we’d give to their most dangerous players.

“We nailed it and then the effort from our middle men was excellent; they really laid the platform for it all.”

His own brilliant kick forced Dorn into a drop out for Ryan Hall’s second try, the blockbusting winger who narrowly denied McGuire the Lance Todd Trophy.

He said: “I never even thought about man of the match. It’d have been lovely but Hally’s tries were unbelievable. Match-winners.

“I’m happy to have played my part for the team. That was the biggest thing; helping this side 
finally win this cup is unreal.

“And I’m delighted my try and drop goal helped us do that.”