Dave Craven: Danny McGuire bows out of Leeds Rhinos as one of the greats

Danny McGuire’s announcement yesterday that this will be his last season as a Leeds Rhinos player means another of the club’s golden generation is leaving Headingley.

The former Great Britain stand-off is perhaps best remembered for scoring the match-winning try in their 2004 Grand Final win over Bradford Bulls, sparking jubilant celebrations as Leeds ended their long 32-year wait for a championship title.

Back then, Rhinos had a raft of stellar players who emerged from their academy and would go on to become the backbone of the most successful club in the summer era.

Inevitably, though, as time moved on, so did those blue and amber heroes.

Matt Diskin was the first, the hooker joining Bradford Bulls at the end of 2010 having helped Leeds to four Super League titles.

Homegrown prop Ryan Bailey was next, making an ill-fated move to Hull KR at the end of 2014, before, legendary captain Kevin Sinfield switched codes with Yorkshire Carnegie a year later.

Now McGuire, who has featured in all seven of the club’s Grand Final wins and played more than 400 games for his hometown club, has revealed he will depart at the end of this campaign, too. It means only Rob Burrow, the 34-year-old with whom he forged one of the most devastating half-back partnerships in the competition, and Jamie Jones-Buchanan, the tireless 35-year-old back-row, will still remain from that original cast.

It will possibly only be at the culmination of this season when people will stand back and really try to absorb the enormity of McGuire’s career.

Clearly, the Leeds captain, who debuted in 2001, wants to bow out on more highs, another Super League and Challenge Cup double definitely within his sights.

But let’s just take a snapshot view of his achievements so far.

Allied to those seven Grand Final winners’ rings are three World Club Challenge titles, three League Leaders Shields and two Challenge Cup final victories.

Furthermore, McGuire won the Harry Sunderland Trophy as man-of-the-match in the 2015 Grand Final when Leeds secured an historic treble and he also represented Great Britain 12 times.

He won another 10 caps for England but arguments still rage that that figure should have been considerably more.

McGuire is Super League’s leading scorer with 233 tries and counting while his total of 262 for Leeds puts him fourth in the club list only behind fellow legends Alan Smith (283), John Atkinson (340) and Eric Harris (391).

With his electric pace and poaching ability, he initially emerged as a dynamic half-back capable of breaking down any defence but he has impressively altered the dynamic of his game as he has got older to become more of an organising playmaker.

Yesterday’s news came as a surprise as McGuire was under contract with the Rhinos until the end of the 2018 season and has been playing well this term.

Admittedly, the club did also recently announce the signing of former England scrum-half Richie Myler from Catalans Dragons on a three-year deal and youngster Jordan Lilley has also extended his contract.

Nevertheless, there will be no shortage of clubs interested in taking McGuire on with promotion-chasing Hull KR, where former Leeds colleague Jamie Peacock is head of rugby, emerging as frontrunners.

“It was probably a mutual decision really, but I felt myself it was the right time,” said a player regarded as one of the club’s all-time greats.

“I got my opportunity when I was 18 when things happened at the club and I was able to grasp that and I feel it’s the right time to step aside and look for a new challenge – and for the club as well.

“I’m still weighing up options and working out the best for me. There’s a few options out there and I am pretty close to knowing.”

Rhinos coach Brian McDermott said: “In the decades to come, Danny McGuire’s achievements will only become more impressive.

“As well as all the silverware and match-winning plays he has come up with, perhaps the most impressive thing about Danny is the way he has adapted and evolved his game to suit his team-mates and the game in general.

“I am sure he will take that adaptability with him into whatever he decides to do next and will be a champion as always at whatever that is.

“There are few people who are more determined for success than Danny and I know he will be giving his absolute all in the remaining months of this season to finish on the highest possible note.”