Castleford v Leeds Rhinos: Captain McGuire pays tribute to stand-in Lilley on eve of return

McGuire is confident he will make his first appearance since suffering a knee injury against Warrington Wolves in First Utility Super League round one. Nineteen-year-old Jordan Lilley has been filling in, but is not included in Rhinos’ squad for tonight.

McGuire, who said he will definitely feature against Wakefield on Monday if he does not get the green light tonight, said: “Jordan has done great. It’s probably not ideal for Jordan and Sutty [Liam Sutcliffe] to be playing together at such a young age.

“You’d probably want someone with a bit of experience around them, but it’s good for their development. It gives them a chance to see what it’s like playing in the pressure situations, especially being a half-back. The pressure’s on you anyway, whether you’re 31 or 21, so I think they’ve both handled that really well.”

Tonight would be an ideal game for McGuire to make his return. He said: “I love playing at Cas – the banter with the fans.

“It’s a great place to play, the atmosphere is always great and it’s always one to look forward to.

“I mark it on the calendar as it’s one of the most enjoyable games of the season.”

He added: “We’ve picked up a couple of wins now and hopefully we can start some consistency.

“A couple of poor results the last few weeks makes Cas dangerous. It will be an interesting game.”