McCormack delighted with Bravehearts’ Brough coup

Scotland boss, Steve McCormack feels he may have inherited the best player in Super League for autumn’s World Cup.

The former Swinton boss will call upon Huddersfield half-back, Danny Brough – a leading contender for the Man of Steel gong – after he made himself unavailable for England selection.

Brough announced he had signed a new five year deal with the Giants over the weekend and looks to be a shoe-in to captain the Bravehearts again.

 “Any coach going into a World Cup will tell you that you can’t have too many world-class players in your side and Danny certainly falls into that category,” McCormack told Love Rugby League

“Danny has been exceptional for Scotland in the past and he’s shown a massive commitment to us as a nation.

“We’ve kept in contact often and he made the decision early which is a massive boost for us.

“He’s probably the stand out player in Super League so far and his form for Huddersfield is fantastic.

“At the moment I couldn’t think of a player in the league who is as influential for his club.”

Peter Wallace and Michael Robertson have also put their hands up and McCormack is confident he’ll be able to build a competitive squad.

“We’ve always pushed above our weight in the time I’ve been doing this job and again this year, I think we’ll have a very good squad,” he added.

“In the last World Cup we beat Fiji and we’ve still kept the core of that squad.

“We’ve had a couple of appearances in European Championship finals but the World Cup is the pinnacle in mine and the players’ careers.

“Our aim at the moment is to get a couple of wins and qualify out of our group but we are aware that that’s a tough ask.

“We’re well in advance of our planning. We’ve been up to examine our training venues and I’ve nearly selected a 40 man-squad.

“We are making final checks regarding eligibility and then we’ll be contacting everyone in our squad to let them know the different dates and the schedule.”