Daryl Powell admits McGuire's Warrington future now out of his hands

15 June 2023 , 11:58

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Warrington boss Daryl Powell (Image: PA)

Warrington boss Daryl Powell says he has no say in Josh McGuire’s future at the club after the Australia international opted against appealing his huge 12-game ban.

The loose forward, 33, copped the massive suspension on an ‘unacceptable language’ charge last week. It related to a slur made towards a member of Leigh winger Josh Charnley’s family it and surrounded disability. High-profile McGuire - barely six months into a two-year deal after joining from NRL club St George Illawarra - had already been hit with a seven-game ban for using unacceptable language earlier in the season.

He had seven days to appeal the latest suspension but that has now elapsed and his future at Warrington - who visit Wigan in Sunday’s Challenge Cup quarter-final - is shrouded in uncertainty. Indeed, McGuire’s career there could easily be cut short but Powell said he was only concentrating on their Cup tie. He said: "Look, I think that's for the CEO (Karl Fitzpatrick), his agent and for Josh himself to decide where that goes.

"I'm focusing on the game at the weekend, that's all I'm really looking at. It's important we keep focused on the game and that our training and performances are where they need to be. I don't want any distractions around that."

Asked if he would have any input into what happens next, Powell said: “It's nothing to do with me. It's above me. It's for Karl, his agent and Josh himself. I'll leave it up to them. There's nothing I can do about it; I'm just focused on the players that are playing at the weekend."

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David Craven