Warrington signing explains how he ended up blind in one eye, as he attends PD session

Warrington’s new signing Josh McGuire has been taking part in the club’s community outreach programme recently and was part of the Wire’s charitable foundation Physical Disability (PD) team training session.

The Wolves signed World Cup winner McGuire after a successful career in the NRL in an attempt to bring experience to their squad as they focus on the basics following a poor 2022 campaign.

In a recent fan’s forum event Chief Executive Karl Fitzpatrick expressed that community would be a key focus for the team, even stating that reconnecting with the community was “part of the training schedule.”

This has been exemplified by 32-year-old McGuire taking part in the PD training, something that ‘Moose’, as he’s nicknamed, is actually eligible to play due to being blind in one eye.

Physical disability rugby league is played in the same way as any other rugby league game but offers those who have suffered major injuries, or alternatively were born with a physical disability, the chance to play the game they love.

At the recent World Cup, which ran in the shadow of the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments, England ran out winners over an Australian side that featured comedian and host of The Last Leg, Adam Hills.

Top night last night welcoming @WarringtonRLFC’s Josh McGuire down to Physical Disability (PD) training!

Moose is actually eligible to play PD with his visual impairment in his left eye but thankfully for our PD opponents, he might be too busy on first team duty this season 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/9DVvZOz53x

— Warrington Wolves Community Foundation (@WWRLFoundation) December 6, 2022

McGuire had spoken about his eye injury at the aforementioned fan’s forum.

“Yeah it was a long time ago, it was 2011 I lost my left eye,” McGuire explained. “He (Mitchell Dodds) took my eye out late in the game, early in the season. I didn’t think it was too bad, at the start I got taken off the field and then I went home. I was actually out for a beer and then I felt this gel-like stuff coming down my face and I thought ‘well that’s not good’.

“They rushed me to the hospital where I was told my eye had collapsed. The poke detached my retina but the actual eyeball collapsed during some dancing on the drink.”

The subject had been brought up when the former Brisbane Bronco had been discussing his fear of the Wolves’ being relegated and CEO Fitzpatrick had recalled McGuire’s worries during a crucial relegation battle against Toulouse.

“I remember the Toulouse game and he text me and it was quite funny actually. Do you remember Matt Dufty got poked in the eye and he kept going like that (holding his eye) and was struggling, going to the physio.

“You (addressing McGuire) text me and said ‘tell f***ing Dufty that he can play with one eye, I’ve played one eye for f***ing 10 years.”

McGuire and the rest of the Warrington squad will continue to work in the community for the upcoming campaign with Fitzpatrick’s belief it will reshape their identity and help return them to the top echelons of Super League.