Hull KR's Danny McGuire has say on hectic Easter programme and Super League's biggest derby

Seemingly scrapped for good only two years ago, the Easter double-header is back in 2022 to the chagrin of players and coaches throughout Super League.

But Rovers assistant coach McGuire - the competition’s all-time leading tryscorer - is a fan of the controversial Easter programme.

“If I’m totally honest, I used to enjoy playing in it,” he told The Yorkshire Post.

“I used to enjoy the challenge of performing on the Thursday or Friday and then having to recover and do it again on the Monday.

“I get the issues regarding player welfare now and recovery. The game is moving on and is probably faster and a bit more physical so we’ve got to be really careful what we ask of our players.

“But I used to enjoy it and embrace it. As I got a bit older towards the back end, I don’t think I played both games but when I was younger I used to enjoy the challenge.”

McGuire grew up on a diet of Leeds Rhinos-Bradford Bulls derbies, a blockbuster fixture in the early years of Super League.

The West Yorkshire neighbours enjoyed a series of epic Easter tussles before Bradford’s relegation to the Championship, which forced Leeds to find new local rivals.

Easter’s opening salvo - now dubbed Rivals Round - remains one of the biggest games on the Super League calendar but McGuire admitted it is difficult for players to maintain that high level of intensity in the matches that follow.

“We used to have the big derby games against the Bulls which were outstanding,” he said.

“Sometimes there was 20,000 plus at Headingley and Odsal. They are probably some of the best nights and occasions Super League has had, especially at Odsal with the entertainment they used to put on before the game. It was a proper carnival atmosphere.

“Some of my best memories are those games over Easter.

“There’s always a bit of a comedown on the Monday. It’s always less physical, a bit slower and more points are scored because everybody is a bit tired and fatigued.

“In the main, it’s normally a couple of weeks later when it catches up with you. Definitely the game after the Easter double-header and then the game after that as well.

“You roll your sleeves up and get through it but you normally feel the after-effects a couple of weeks down the line.

“You’ve got to be really smart about what you do with the players.”

Since calling time on his 18-year playing career in 2019, McGuire has turned his hand to coaching.

Once faced with the challenge of recovering physically and mentally in time for Easter Monday, the 39-year-old is now charged with providing real-time information over the course of a hectic weekend that begins against Hull and ends in France three days later.

But McGuire is not expecting any sympathy. “The players have got it a lot tougher. As a coach, it’s a doddle," he says.

“You haven’t got the physical pain and torture to go through. You’ve just got to prepare as well as possible.

“One thing we’re trying to do this year is to give the lads as much info as possible on who we’re playing.

“The short turnaround hinders that a little bit and we’ve got Toulouse this year which is going to be a different challenge, but the more you embrace it and see the good side of it and the challenge, the better you do.

“If you see it as a negative and a problem then it will be. You’ve just to approach it with the right mindset.

“It’d be nice to be in a position where we can rotate a little bit and give opportunities to some of the lads who haven’t had a lot of game time in the next few weeks.”

Friday’s date with FC is KR’s first home derby since June 2019, when McGuire starred for the hosts in a vital win.

He is excited about the fixture’s return to Craven Park.

“It’ll be outstanding,” said McGuire.

“My best memories of my playing time at Rovers are the derbies at Craven Park. They’re really special occasions.

“When Jimmy Keinhorst scored that last-second try and Matty Parcell scored his late winner later that year, they’re probably two of the standout memories from my time playing.

“It’s a great fixture and we’re all looking forward to it.”

In the build-up to Rivals Round, fans will debate over the biggest derby in rugby league.

McGuire has had his say based on his own experiences.

“For me being a Leeds lad, the Leeds-Bradford game carried a little bit more weight because of where I grew up,” he said.

“But I’ve got to say, the Hull derby is the biggest derby in the game because of the passion from both sets of supporters and clubs.

“It’s the first fixture on the calendar that’s circled by both clubs and both sets of fans.

“I must admit, I was shocked at the intensity of the rivalry when I first got there. It’s huge for the city.

“It’s definitely more powerful than the old Leeds-Bradford games but I’ve probably got a little bit of loyalty to that fixture.”