Until those productive 33 minutes against London, this campaign had not brought quite the same success, although Smith praised him as much for his less spectacular contribution in the first half as for his try-scoring. For one thing, there have been injuries - a hernia and, after he had come back from that, a broken hand.Then there is the inevitability that what McGuire does startlingly well - the pace, the support play, the curving trajectory that takes him out of tacklers' reach - is not as unfamiliar to defences any more. Hull's half-back Danny Brough has taken such an obscure route to the Cup final that he qualifies as the mystery man in the contest, but he is no stranger to McGuire "I've played a lot of games with Danny. "I'd prefer to start, but I'll be happy being in the 17, just being involved," McGuire says. When he is involved - and the signs are that it will be for much of the game - he is likely to be up against another familiar face. He's developed his game in that direction as well."McGuire and Burrow have played alongside each other since their schooldays, although, such is Leeds' wealth of options, it remains to be seen how much time they will spend on the field together at Cardiff. "Any player who has had a good couple of seasons finds that other teams have looked at your strengths and weaknesses," he says.

"Teams shut you down quicker, so you have to keep on improving your game, and I think I've done that. It's not just about my pace now; I like to think of myself as a creative player as well It's like Rob Burrow. "It was a massive disappointment, having to go out there and warm up in front of all the Leeds fans and then come off. I had to think about the good of the team, though, and it wouldn't do them any good if I was dragging my lip along the ground."The then Leeds coach, Daryl Powell, made the wise decision to room the mortified McGuire with Kevin Sinfield, who had suffered similar heartbreak three years earlier. There was last November, when he was left out of Great Britain's starting line-up against Australia in the final of the Tri-Nations, after demonstrating his credentials in the lead-up games. His reward will surely be a prominent role when the Rhinos go back to the Millennium Stadium to face Hull on Saturday, provided that, as expected, he recovers from the shoulder injury he suffered in Friday night's 42-10 defeat by Bradford."I was really upset," he says of his experience two years ago. Before that, in 2003, he was left out of Leeds' 17 for the Powergen Challenge Cup final, despite scoring the stunning try that got them there. The way the 23-year-old has taken these disappointments in his stride marks him out as a mature player as well as a prodigiously gifted one.

It would have read: "Don't even think about leaving me out this time." It is easy to forget that the Leeds half-back's glittering, try-laden career has encompassed two major disappointments. When Danny McGuire scored four tries in the second half against the London Broncos last weekend, they might as well have come with a memo attached. It is thought Doncaster will fail to meet the criteria by the 31 Aug-ust deadline, unlike fancied pair Castleford and Hull KR."We want to help Doncaster win the Grand Final and thereby keep Widnes in Super League," explained the Widnes-born Hulse "That's our aim.". The City Reds ended their four-game losing streak to leapfrog the Wildcats into ninth place and edge Widnes closer to the drop.The Vikings need to win all their four remaining matches to keep alive their survival chances, starting with the derby clash against Warrington today, although they could yet escape if Gary Hulse and Sala Fa'alogo get their way.The Widnes duo have joined National League One club Doncaster on loan until the end of the season in an effort to help the Dragons reach October's Grand Final.The Grand Final winners will be promoted as long as they meet the minimum standards demanded for Super League membership.