Danny McGuire tipped to take over at Leeds Rhinos
Danny McGuire is currently assistant coach at Hull KR
Leeds legend Danny McGuire has been tipped as the man the Rhinos should turn to as head coach following the departure of Richard Agar.
Five defeats in his side’s first six games prompted Agar to resign this week, with chief executive Gary Hetherington now drawing up a shortlist of options to replace him.
Hull KR assistant McGuire won eight Grand Finals at Headingley, and is now learning his trade as a coach under his former Leeds boss Tony Smith at Craven Park.
And the 39-year-old is the obvious choice to revitalise the club he starred for with such distinction, according to his former Leeds and Hull KR team-mate Mitch Garbutt, who is now playing for Toulouse.
“He’s a great mate of mine and someone who I think would make a fantastic head coach but I don’t know whether it is his time or he’d be interested in doing it,” Garbutt, a two-time Grand Final winner with the Rhinos told Love Rugby League.
“But it is Danny McGuire for me. You can’t question what Danny and Jamie-Jones Buchanan did for Leeds and if you can get them working together you keep what Leeds is about and what they sacrifice.”
“He’d probably get them up a bit”
Garbutt added: “Danny was the best 6 running round in the world. I don’t know whether Mags is at that point in his career where he would take that on, but they’d not have any issue getting another coach.
“Is it that big a gamble? Kevin Sinfield came back. When those people walk back into the club everyone goes ‘ahh they’re back’ and get nostalgic and think about how good it was. I’m not saying Mags would win them a Grand final but he’d probably get them up a bit.
“There’s obviously a risk for Maggsy going back. I sent him a message earlier that I’d been telling everyone he’d taken the head coach job at Leeds. He wants to be a head coach one day but he might not want to do it now. I know he’s enjoying his role at Hull KR with Tony Smith. I’ve seen Tony’s name thrown up too so he might be an option but I know KR wouldn’t just let him walk away. “
Garbutt was speaking exclusively to Love Rugby League for The Big Interview, out every Wednesday.
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