Huddersfield Giants star will not be distracted by talk of switch Down Under

The prolific winger proved a star of the World Cup last autumn, scoring seven tries in just six games as England reached the final.

McGillvary’s all-action displays – the 29-year-old made more metres, clean breaks, tackle busts and carries than any other player in the tournament – understandably saw him draw plenty of interest.

He was linked with a move to numerous NRL clubs, including Brisbane Broncos, who are coached by his England chief Wayne Bennett.

Nothing materialised, however, and the player is due to open the new Super League campaign with home-town Huddersfield at Hull FC on Thursday.

Asked if a move Down Under is something he would fancy in the future, McGillvary – contracted at John Smith’s Stadium until 2020 – said: “The time I had in Australia was amazing.

“It was great. If it ever did arise I’d definitely have a look at it, but I’ve heard nothing directly.

“Nothing’s come to me. Obviously I’ve seen the speculation and stuff, but I’ve not heard anything from anyone’s mouth to me.”

Ultimately, England lost the World Cup final 6-0 to Australia, but featuring in such high-profiles encounters has whetted the appetite for McGillvary, whose Huddersfield side have struggled in recent times.

“I absolutely loved it down there; on the field, off it, everything about the World Cup in Australia was amazing,” he recalled. “Playing in those top, crucial games brings the best out of you and I’m hungry for that.

“That’s what I want our team to be in; in the top eight, then fighting for the top four and fighting for trophies.

“We’ve not had any of that in the last two seasons, nothing good to fight for anyway. We avoided relegation one year and last year (finishing eighth) there was nothing.”

McGillvary was part of the Huddersfield side that won the 2013 League Leaders’ Shield and were regular Super League semi-finalists.

He sees no reason why they cannot return to that form under head coach Rick Stone as they prepare for the big kick-off.

“It’s always the same for every club,” said McGillvary, who passed 200 games for the side last season. “Everyone’s fitter, stronger, wanting to hit the ground running and we’re no different. We’re in a lot better shape than this time last year in terms of injuries and we do need to hit the ground running.

“We don’t want to be scraping wins to just make the top eight or get there with nothing to play for.

“We don’t want those dead-rubber, meaningless matches; we want to be in there with a chance of competing for something again so our fans can watch big games.

“It’s Hull first on Thursday and they’ll be looking at us for two points on the board before they fly out to Australia to face Wigan.

“I know a few of their players; their minds won’t be tracking off this first game. It’ll be tough.”