Danny McGuire

Danny McGuire

Personal information
Full name	Daniel McGuire
Born	6 December 1982 (1982-12-06) (age 28) Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	85 kg (13 st 5 lb) [1]
Playing information
Position	Stand-off/Five-eighth, Scrum-half/Halfback
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2001–	Leeds Rhinos	270	200	0	2	800
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2004–2007	Great Britain	12	5	1	0	22
2008–2009	England	7	4	0	0	16
As of 15 October 2010

Danny McGuire is an English professional rugby league player who currently plays for the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League. His preferred position is at Stand-off/Five-eighth. He has played his entire career to date with the Rhinos, having come through the club's Academy.

Playing career

Early years

McGuire signed for the Rhinos from local team East Leeds ARLFC.^{[citation needed]} McGuire impressed for the Academy side & made his debut for the Rhinos 1st team at Headingley Stadium against the Salford City Reds in July 2001.

By the start of the 2003 Super League season, McGuire had established himself as a first-team regular.

But it was the 2004 season when McGuire really showed what he could do. He ended the season having scored 39 tries in all competitions, including a Super League record of 5 in one match against the Widnes Vikings. It was just one fewer than the Super League's Top Try Scorer, Bradford's Lesley Vainikolo, scored that season.

McGuire's superb form resulted in him being awarded the Rugby League Writers Association Player of the Year and resulted in him being named in the 2004 Tetley’s Super League Dream Team.^[2]

The 2004 season also saw McGuire & his Rhinos' teammates win the club's first Super League title.

Grand Finals

McGuire has played an integral part in all five of the Rhinos Super League Grand Final winning teams. The first in 2004, ending a 32-year wait for the Championship, defeating the Bradford Bulls 16-8, scoring a try. The second in 2007, this time defeating St Helens 33-6. The third in 2008, again defeating St Helens in a closer affair than the year before.^[3] The Rhinos winning 24-16, with McGuire scoring two tries in the second-half to ensure victory. The fourth came in 2009, defeating St Helens for a third year in a row, 18-10. His fifth and latest win, again against St Helens, came in 2011 with Leeds Rhinos coming from 5th in the regular season table to win 32-16 in the 2011 Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.

McGuire also suffered Grand Final defeat in 2005 in a rematch of the 2004 Final against the Bradford bulls. McGuire scored the Rhinos' only try in a 15-6 defeat.

2010 Season

After winning three titles in a row, the Rhinos struggled in 2010. McGuire excelled though, scoring 27 tries in 32 games. His equal best since his excellent 2004 season.

McGuire's season ended in controversy though during the Rhino's win in their first play-off match against the eventual champions, the Wigan Warriors. With just moments remaining in the match, the Rhinos led 27-26, when Wigan broke down the left of the field. McGuire was ajudged to have pulled back Wigan's George Carmont, preventing him from scoring a potential match-winning try. But in doing so, McGuire suffered a serious knee injury which would rule him out for up to six months, meaning he'd miss the remainder of the season & the start of the next.^{[citation needed]}

Former Wigan star Phil Clarke caused further controversy by writing, 'Perhaps the rugby Gods have punished him (McGuire) for his unsportsmanlike play', on his blog on the Sky Sports website.^{[citation needed]}

Representative career

On the back of his superb season in 2004, McGuire was named in the Great Britain squad for the Tri-Nations tournament. He made his debut off the bench in Great Britain's first game defeat against Australia.

He then made his first start for Great Britain in their next match against New Zealand, playing a key role & creating the try which ensured a 22-12 victory.^{[citation needed]}

World Cup

In 2008, McGuire was named, along with seven Rhinos' teammates, in England, & former Rhinos, coach Tony Smith's 24-man squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.^[4]

Before the tournament, McGuire was named as one of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup 'Players to Watch' by Australian website NRL Live.^[5]

However, McGuire and the rest of the England squad failed to impress at the tournament. After coming from behind to scrape past Papua New Guinea 32-22 in the opening game of the tournament, England then lost 52-4 to host nation and tournament favourites Australia. McGuire was left out of the squad for England's final group game, where they surrendered a 24-12 half-time lead, to lose 36-24 to New Zealand.

McGuire started his first game of the tournament against New Zealand in the semi-final. It also proved to be his last as, despite scoring two tries, McGuire could not prevent England losing 32-22 and being eliminated.

References

1. ^ "Leeds Rhinos Players & Coaches 1st Team". web page. Leeds Rhinos. 2011. http://www.therhinos.co.uk/rugby/players/first_team.php?player=81347&includeref=dynamic. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 
2. ^ "Tri-Nations: Great Britain profiles". Mail Online (UK: Associated Newspapers). 19 October 2004. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-322576/Tri-Nations-Great-Britain-profiles.html. Retrieved 14 February 2011. 
3. ^ "2008 Grand Final". BBC. 2008-10-04. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7642170.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 
4. ^ "Purdham earns World Cup call-up". BBC. 2008-10-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7656553.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 
5. ^ "World Cup Players to Watch". NRL Live. 2008-10-17. http://www.nrllive.com.au/world-cup-players-to-watch-pool-a/. Retrieved 2008-10-20. 

External links

• International Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
• Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org

Persondata
Name	Macguire, Danny
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	6 December 1982
Place of birth	Leeds, West Yorkshire
Date of death
Place of death