Former Queensland State of Origin prop Josh McGuire’s move to the English Super League has started off with controversy after he was handed a seven-game ban for a derogatory slur in a pre-season trial.
Now playing with Warrington, McGuire, 32, was found guilty of a grade F charge for abusive language to an opponent stemming from a pre-season testimonial match.
The Rugby Football League claimed McGuire had used “unacceptable language” regarding people with a disability towards a Leigh Leopards player.
While the specifics of the slur were not clear, McGuire was sent off during the match and, on top of his seven-week ban, will be required to undertake “mandatory education”.
McGuire’s opponent and fellow Australian Tom Amone was found not guilty of a similar charge stemming from the same incident.
The game was being held to celebrate the testimonial of Warrington and Ireland stalwart Ben Currie.
It became a heated affair with lots of pushing and shoving, including the incident between McGuire and Amone.
The ban means McGuire, who signed a two-year deal with Warrington, will not debut in the Super League until April.
McGuire, who also represented Australia at Test level, missed 10 games in bans from five separate offences in the 2021 season at St George Illawarra.
He missed the first five rounds of the 2022 season due to a ban incurred in the previous season.
He’d also been hit with another five charges in the two years before that.
McGuire recently arrived in Warrington along with former Dragons teammate Paul Vaughan, whose NRL career ended abruptly after he held a BBQ at his house during Covid lockdowns.
