JOSH McGuire will head into his first ever Challenge Cup game feeling better placed after his best game yet for Warrington Wolves in the 21-14 win against Hull KR.
The former Australian Test forward's fifth straight appearance, following the delayed start to his Wire chapter through suspension, was his first for the club in the back row and he marked the occasion with a try.
It is a role he looks set to continue in due to Matty Nicholson now being sidelined with a finger injury and he said he is happy to play wherever he is needed.
"Last year I played the whole of the year in the back row for St George Illawarra Dragons so it's a familiar role," he said.
"It's a bit different to the middle. You probably get to run at smaller guys out wide, so it's a different taxing on the body – probably not as physical because you don’t get all the big boys to deal with all the time.
"Being beside our half Josh Drinkwater makes my life a bit easier. He's a good talker and just tells you what to do. It's a pretty simple job, just run hard and just don't let anyone get to 'Drinky', so it’s not too complicated."
The 33-year-old played 14 seasons at the top level Down Under but said the standards of players and teams in Super League have not surprised him.
"Super League is tough, it's exactly what I expected," he said.
"It’s probably taken a little while to get accustomed to it.
"During that suspension I tore my hamstring and that really set me back a fair bit.
"So I probably felt a little bit underdone for the last couple of weeks, but, slowly, as I’m 33 now, I've just been trying to get used to football again. I’ve probably only played four or five games in seven/eight months.
"So it was a fair lay-off trying to get up to speed and probably taken me a bit longer than I expected, but I felt good against Hull KR.
"I played the whole 80 minutes on the edge and I’m probably starting to feel a little bit like a football player again.
"We’ve got a great squad here and I'll just do my part and do whatever the coach asks me to do, whether I'm on the edge, in the middle, on the bench or whatever.
"It's just a pleasure to be a part of this club and a part of this town."
He likes having the Halliwell Jones Stadium as his new home ground, too, and as a self-confessed 'footy-head' and after only a few short months living in England he has identified a way forward that he feels would benefit the Super League competition.
“It's a beautiful place to play. The fans are fantastic, very passionate. I’m really enjoying the away fans too," he said.
"The competition really looks a pretty even competition this year. Anyone can win on their day, there's a lot of class here in this competition.
"Hopefully Super League can profit off the calibre of players and what we're doing as a competition.
"I think it's exciting times for Super League, with IMG coming in and the third marquee player, hopefully we can really promote the sport.
"I think we just need to probably get the game on TV a bit more. I heard we're the third highest viewed sport in the world when we're on Sky in England so it would be nice to get a few more games on.
"I know all my family and friends back home really want to see Super League football and whether it's Sky or Channel 4 or even if the Super League streams it itself, I just think it’s important to get the talent that's here in this competition on the world stage for everyone to see.
"We might have to double down and invest in ourselves. But it's such a great sport, it's such a big spectacle. It looks like rugby union are in dire straits at the moment in England, so maybe we should capitalise on that."
But all focus now is helping The Wire to reach the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup by winning in France on Saturday.
McGuire made his Wolves debut when a 20-14 Super League victory was secured in Perpignan over the Easter weekend.
"The Hull KR win was a great game for us to lead into the Challenge Cup game," he said.
"Catalans are always tough, especially at home. They've got a class team, a big forward pack, good halves, so we know what to expect.
"We just got away with it the last time we were there, but they were missing a lot and this will be a different game.
"It's been pretty good for this club in the Challenge Cup, it's been prestigious, so there's an expectation to perform.
"At the end of the day, we want to perform in every football game.
"The goal is to win Super League as well. We just want to keep building, keep our players fit and healthy and firing ready for the Super League finals as well.
"To win in France, we need to be composed. We can't push anything because they're a classy football team.
"A bit like ourselves, they have a lot of strike everywhere, so we have got to be in the arm wrestle for the whole 80 minutes and really just take them to the deep end. Then, like against Hull KR, hopefully our class will shine through late in the game."
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