Danny McGuire on where Tony Smith will end up coaching following Hull KR departure

Tony Smith’s sacking as Hull KR head coach last week didn’t seem to surprise many people.

After announcing he would be leaving Craven Park at the end of the 2022 Super League season, performances seemed to go downhill with a 28-6 loss to Toulouse Olympique last weekend the final straw.

Smith was given his marching orders three years since taking over the East Yorkshire and in that time, the former Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves boss has overseen a dramatic turnaround.

From basement dwellers to play-off contenders, the transformation has been huge under Smith, but with new interim coach Danny McGuire taking over the reins, the club is heading in a new direction until current Newcastle Knights assistant Willie Peters makes the move for 2023.

McGuire himself has recently signed a new three-year deal and he cannot wait for the future.

“I’ve had to keep it quiet but I have loved my time here at the club playing and two or three years off-field recruitment and coaching staff,” McGuire said.

“It’s a great place to work and I enjoy coming to work every day. We’ve got a great bunch and as a coach it is a great opportunity. I’m really settled.”

When speaking about Smith’s potential future in the sport, McGuire does not know where he will end up.

“I’m not sure (where he will end up), I think Tony definitely got his mojo back into coaching.

“With his time at Warrington, I felt like he was over-coaching and it’s probably like any job, it’s a demanding job and at the back end of his Warrington stint he thought he would have had enough.

“But because this club is such a good club I believe Tony found a new lease of life. A few things went on behind the scenes but I could quite easily see him jumping into another job without a doubt.

“And any club would be lucky to have him.”

McGuire took charge of his first game for Hull KR at the Magic Weekend, narrowly going down 34-28.