Where are they now? The Leeds side from Danny McGuire’s last Rhinos appearance at Headingley in 2017

Leeds icon Danny McGuire will return to Headingley for the first time as a head coach with Castleford Tigers on Sunday, over seven years on from his final Rhinos appearance there as a player.

The legendary half-back played 211 of his 498 career games at Headingley, returning there as a Hull KR player on three occasions.

But his final appearance there in a Rhinos shirt came on September 29, 2017 in the  Super League play-off semi-finals – helping to inspire an 18-16 victory against Hull FC.

McGuire and Leeds went on to lift the Super League title, coincidentally beating Castleford in the Grand Final at Old Trafford.

Here though, we look at the Rhinos side from that semi-final at Headingley, and where they all are today…

Jack Walker

Making his senior debut for boyhood club Leeds in the April, Walker had only turned 18 the month before this semi-final. He featured 75 times in total at first-team level for the Rhinos before departing permanently at the end of 2022.

Now 25, the one-time England Knights international has got 116 career appearances on his CV, joining Championship outfit Sheffield Eagles ahead of 2025 having been released by Hull FC.

Tom Briscoe

Briscoe joined Leeds from Hull in 2014 and scored 93 tries in 208 appearances. Winning six major honours during his time at Headingley, including two Super League titles, he eventually linked up with Leigh Leopards in 2023.

Having played 18 games for England, the 34-year-old eventually re-joined Hull midway through the 2024 campaign – and remains with the Airlie Birds today. His career appearance tally is now above the 420 mark.

Kallum Watkins

30-time England international Watkins is a product of the Rhinos’ youth system, and he made over 250 appearances for the club before heading for the NRL and Gold Coast Titans in 2019.

Returning to Super League the following year with Salford, he’s now the Red Devils’ captain and is fast approaching the landmark of 400 career appearances. In this semi-final, the 33-year-old kicked three conversions to earn six of Leeds’ 18 points.

Liam Sutcliffe

Another product of Leeds’ academy, Sutcliffe grabbed the winning try here. He made his senior debut for the Rhinos in May 2013 and didn’t depart Headingley permanently until the end of the 2022 season when he linked up with Hull.

Having turned 30 in November, the one-time England international linked up with Huddersfield Giants ahead of 2025 and has now made 268 senior career appearances.

Ryan Hall

The only man in this 17 still with Leeds today is veteran winger Hall, who has 47 international appearances on his CV between England and Great Britain. At the age of 37, he returned to Headingley ahead of 2025 from fellow Super League outfit Hull KR.

Hall saw his first stint with the Rhinos come to an end in 2019 when he linked up with NRL side Sydney Roosters, and spent four seasons with KR upon his return to the British game. He’s now Super League’s top try-scorer of all-time having overtaken McGuire last year, and is closing in on the milestone of 500 career appearances.

Joel Moon

Australian playmaker Moon joined Leeds from Salford in 2013, and hung up his boots at the end of the 2018 campaign after six seasons and 170 appearances for the Rhinos. The 36-year-old had signed for Queensland Cup outfit Sunshine Coast Falcons back Down Under ahead of the 2020 season, but never played, re-announcing his retirement due to a chronic knee injury.

Away from the game, Moon – who represented The Exiles twice – set up his own accountancy firm in Leeds back in 2013, and it would appear that business is still going today!

Danny McGuire (Captain)

The man who inspired this walk down memory lane. McGuire played 426 games at first-team level for boyhood club Leeds, making his senior bow in 2001 and departing for Hull KR at the end of the 2017 season. Capped 19 times between England and Great Britain, he made a total of 45 appearances for the Robins – taking his total tally to 498.

Becoming an assistant coach to Tony Smith at KR after retiring, he had a brief stint in interim charge at Craven Park towards the end of 2022, and moved on to Castleford as Craig Lingard’s assistant ahead of 2024. Following Lingard’s dismissal, he was handed his first-ever permanent head coach role by the Tigers for 2025.

Mitch Garbutt

New South Wales native Garbutt linked up with Leeds midway through 2015 having been released by Brisbane Broncos. The overseas powerhouse played 72 games for the Rhinos over the three-and-a-half seasons which followed, winning four major honours.

The 35-year-old went on to play for Hull KR and Toulouse Olympique as well as having a brief stint in the French Elite Championship with Saint-Gaudens Bears. Retiring midway through 2019, he would enjoy a stint as Saint-Gaudens’ head coach, but is now back Down Under working as a Project Manager for a company involved in helping its customers to decarbonise.

Matt Parcell

Parcell joined Leeds in 2017 from NRL outfit Manly Sea Eagles, playing 80 games in a Rhinos shirt before departing for Hull KR late on in 2019. The Australian hooker first joined the Robins as a loanee, before making the move a permanent one ahead of 2020.

Now 32, the Queensland native went on to feature 122 times for KR, hanging up his boots at the end of the season just gone and returning Down Under. He is aiming to get into property development.

Brad Singleton

Barrow-born prop Singleton made his senior bow for Leeds in March 2011, and didn’t permanently depart Headingley until the end of the 2019 season, by which time he’d featured 178 times for the Rhinos.

The three-time Ireland international joined Canadian outfit Toronto Wolfpack and has also donned a shirt for Wigan Warriors prior to linking up with current club Salford midway through the 2023 campaign. At the time of writing, the 32-year-old has made exactly 300 career appearances at club level.

Stevie Ward

Leeds-born Ward, now 31, is another Rhinos youth product and spent his entire career with his hometown club. Playing 136 games at senior level, he won six major honours and scored 23 tries – including a four-pointer in this semi-final triumph.

The forward was forced to hang up his boots at the age of 27, announcing his retirement in January 2021 due to the long-standing consequences of a concussion injury picked up in the first game of the previous campaign against Hull. Since retiring, Ward has become a keynote speaker, and is the Director of a company focusing on men’s mental health.

Jamie Jones-Buchanan

Another local lad in Jones-Buchanan also spent his entire career donning a Rhinos shirt, making his senior bow in May 1999 and playing his last game in September 2019. The versatile forward amassed 18 caps between England and Great Britain in addition to the 421 appearances he made for Leeds.

Jones-Buchanan has remained involved with the club since his retirement. Having had a brief stint as interim head coach in 2022, he is now the club’s Director of Culture, Diversity and Inclusion. The 43-year-old also holds a dual-role with the RFL as a Board Observer and the Chair of their Inclusion Board.

Adam Cuthbertson

Joining Leeds in 2015 from NRL outfit Newcastle Knights, Cuthbertson spent six seasons at Headingley and won five major honours including two Super League titles. The forward made 157 appearances for the Rhinos before moving on to York ahead of the 2021 season.

Cuthbertson – who turned 40 earlier this week – also featured for Featherstone Rovers, and off-field, briefly held a role as the head coach of Leeds’ women’s side between. He is now back Down Under at the helm of Queensland Cup outfit Mackay Cutters, and owns a company that sells the UK’s only zero carb session lager.

Rob Burrow (Interchange)

Leeds and rugby league icon Burrow played 492 games for the Rhinos between 2001 and 2017, retiring on the back of the Grand Final triumph against Castleford – the 16th major honour he’d won.

Having entered the coaching world in Leeds’ youth ranks after hanging up his boots, the legendary playmaker was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in December 2019. Alongside his family and friends, Burrow spent the next four-and-a-half years campaigning and fundraising to raise awareness around the disease.

He passed away at Pinderfields Hospital on June 2, 2024 aged 41 with rugby league losing one of its greatest sons 💙

Carl Ablett (Interchange)

Having made his senior debut in July 2004, Ablett is another boyhood Leeds fan who never permanently departed Headingley during his career, making 323 of his 328 club career appearances for the Rhinos and the remaining five as a loanee for London Broncos back in 2005.

Ablett – who earned seven caps for England – is now 39. Retiring in 2019, he founded his own plumbing and heating firm in his home city having studied the trade throughout his playing career.

Brett Ferres (Interchange)

17-time England international Ferres joined the Rhinos from Huddersfield in 2016 and spent four seasons at Headingley, making 90 appearances. The 38-year-old will turn 39 in April, and is still playing now having joined League 1 new boys Goole Vikings ahead of 2025.

Including those caps for England, his career appearance tally is now sat at 440. Goole are the eighth club he’s donned a shirt for – after Bradford, Wakefield Trinity, Castleford, Huddersfield, Leeds, Featherstone and Doncaster.

Anthony Mullally (Interchange)

Widnes-born Mullally joined Leeds from Huddersfield in 2016 and made 71 appearances for the Rhinos – the most games he played for any of the 12 clubs he represented during his career. One of the try-scorers in this semi-final victory, he eventually departed Headingley in 2019 and linked up with Toronto.

Earning seven caps for Ireland via his heritage, the 33-year-old rounded off his career with stints at French outfit Carcassonne and League 1 side Cornwall. Last playing a game in 2022, he was Cornwall’s 18th man for a Challenge Cup tie against York Acorn last year. Now 33, Mullally is now in the wellness industry, specialising in breathwork for high performance.

Head coach: Brian McDermott

Initially arriving at Headingley ahead of the 2011 season as an assistant, McDermott was handed the Rhinos head coach role following Brian McClennan’s resignation. He went on to spend seven-and-a-half years at the helm, leading Leeds to four Super League titles. A chunk of that time also saw him hold a role as the United States’ head coach.

Dismissed in July 2018, the veteran coach would guide Canadian outfit Toronto to promotion up to Super League in 2019, and following their demise during the COVID-19 Pandemic, he took the reins at Featherstone. After losing out to Leigh – then under the ‘Centurions’ tagline – in the race for promotion, McDermott departed Post Office Road after just one season.

The 54-year-old has been Down Under working in the NRL as an assistant at Newcastle Knights since 2023, penning a new deal ahead of 2025.

Hull FC side from 2017 Super League play-off semi-final

Starting 13: Jamie Shaul, Mahe Fonua, Jake Connor, Carlos Tuimavave, Fetuli Talanoa, Albert Kelly, Marc Sneyd, Scott Taylor, Danny Houghton, Liam Watts, Sika Manu, Mark Minichiello, Gareth Ellis (captain)

Bench: Josh Griffin, Josh Bowden, Chris Green, Brad Fash

Head coach: Lee Radford

Tries: Ellis, Fonua, Manu

Goals: Sneyd (2)