Jermaine McGillvary grateful to former Huddersfield Giants team-mate Dave Hodgson as he breaks into top 10

England star McGillvary grabbed a brace to help Giants defeat Hull KR 32-22 on Wednesday night with his competition tally subsequently rising to 169.

That saw him jump up into ninth place, climbing one above both Hodgson - the former Huddersfield winger ironically now an assistant coach at Rovers - and Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow.

McGillvary told The Yorkshire Post: “It’s great to break into the top ten on that list. I only made my Super League debut when I was 22 so it’s a great achievement.

“But I’ve another three years at Huddersfield so hopefully I’ll be higher again come the end.

“It was funny seeing Hodgey there last night, though; he was putting the cones out. I was shouting at him to get off the pitch!

“He did have a big impact on my career. When I was coming through the Academy at Giants I was a left winger. So was he but he was playing for England and Great Britain...

“That’s how I first ended up moving to the right and he was a great help for me.

“We played together for a couple of years and with all his experience he gave me lots of little tips and pointers about playing on the wing. He really helped me improve my game and is one of the reasons I’ve been able to go on and have a successful career.”

McGillvary, of course, has appeared in a World Cup final and proved his worth as one of the sport’s greatest widemen.

He is currently in rich form having scored a hat-trick in the previous game to help Huddersfield beat Castleford Tigers.

On the all-time list, McGillvary is now chasing Castleford legend Luke Dorn (170) and Leon Pryce (173) while only sixth-placed Josh Charnley (183) in the top ten is still playing in Super League although ex-Leeds winger Ryan Hall (196) could move up if, as expected, he returns to the competition from Sydney Roosters in 2021.

Former Warrington centre Ryan Atkins (186) is in range in fifth with ex-St Helens full-back Paul Wellens and Leeds Rhinos’ former Great Britain centre Keith Senior locked in second and third on 199.

Another Rhinos legend Danny McGuire is out on his own at the top with a remarkable 247 tries.

McGillvary admitted: “I know I won’t get near that.

“I don’t even know about the other two – they’re some records – but we’ll see how we go.

“The main thing was getting another win. That’s three in a row now and it boosts confidence.

“But it wasn’t a great performance and no one was really happy afterwards. There’s plenty still to work on and we’ll look to do that against Salford on Thursday.”

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James Mitchinson