IT is a mark of his quality as a man that Tyrone McCarthy’s thoughts were for the friends he had just beaten as he skippered Hull KR to victory over hometown club Warrington Wolves.

He played in primrose and blue alongside a number of them not only in league campaigns and play-offs series, but in Challenge Cup final successes of 2009 and 2012 too, while he was also best man at Wolves loose forward Ben Harrison’s wedding nine months ago.

By 2.40pm on Saturday afternoon the 27-year-old ex-Wire back rower was probably the only happy Warringtonian in Leeds after Rovers sunk favourites Wolves to a third successive Challenge Cup semi final loss.

Interviewed upon leaving the changing rooms, the Ireland international said: “I’m devastated for all my mates at the club (Warrington) but over the moon for myself.”

To go back to Wembley as captain of his new club in his first season back in Super League is a personal success for a player who made a difficult judgement call in 2013 and backed his rugby league future being away from The Halliwell Jones Stadium.

The former Woolston Rovers amateur said: “It was a massive decision to leave Warrington. It was always in my heart there, growing up as a fan and I had some great times there.

“I felt I had to move on, to go out to Australia just to start playing regularly and to enjoy the game again. That happened.”

He suited up with Cairns-based Northern Pride for 12 months, coming home with two winners’ medals.

‘Tyke’ scored the winning try as Pride completed a memorable double at the ANZ Stadium on NRL Grand Final day, earning his side the title of inaugural NRL State Champions in a curtain-raiser to last year’s NRL Grand Final between South Sydney Rabbitohs and Canterbury Bulldogs.

That opportunity came on the back of being crowned champions of Queensland's premier rugby league competition, the Intrust Super Cup.

His homecoming season would not be in Warrington though.

“Thankfully Hull KR gave me the opportunity to play Super League again,” said McCarthy, one of 13 new Rovers signings coming into Rovers’ first full season under former Wigan and Hull player Chris Chester, assisted by Tony Smith’s former right-hand man at Warrington, Willie Poching.

He did not start the season as captain, but his leadership skill had caught the eye in a short time so that he was the man Chester turned to after Australian half back Terry Campese was ruled out for the season through injury.

McCathy said: “Through the loss of our huge captain Campo, they asked me to lead the team and to get to do that at Wembley I don’t think there’s many other individual accomplishments that will come up to that.”

Rugby league legend Adrian Morley was his skipper at Wembley when Wolves beat Huddersfield in 2009 and three years later overcame Leeds, who will be McCarthy’s opponents again in the August 29 showdown.

“Moz is an inspirer,” he said. “That’s what I try to do, try and talk to the team all the time in making sure they are all on point together.

“If that’s what it takes for us to win at Wembley then I’m more than happy to keep doing that and to keep turning up for the team.

“To be put into that context and like Moz be leading a team out at Wembley alongside Leeds’ Kevin Sinfield, they’re special players and to just get that opportunity would be fantastic.

“But obviously I want to go there and win too.”

Although he now lives in Leeds, his roots are in Warrington and he hopes the town gets behind him and his club for their first Wembley showdown since 1986.

“I’ve still got lots of friends and family in Warrington and hopefully they do get behind me and support Hull KR.

“I’m pretty sure as the outsiders most neutral fans will be behind us but it would be nice to have some Warrington fans there too so that when I look around I see some familiar places.”

There are shades of Warrington 2009 about Hull KR’s achievement.

Six years ago poor league form was put to one side in the cup and the arrival of a new coach led to Warrington ending a 19-year wait for a trip to Wembley.

And Wolves knocked out Hull KR en route, the Lee Briers golden point drop goal being one of the great moments in the competition’s proud and cherished history.

McCarthy said: “I think we know what this Hull KR team is capable of. We’ve just been inconsistent.

“Throughout the year we’ve beaten the big teams and the cup has probably been our light.

“When we’ve had a few bad results we’ve turned up to the cup with a fresh face and a fresh outlook to the game.

“I think it showed again against Warrington, when we were nowhere near the 50 points that Saints put on us a week earlier.

“Warrington were rattling us in that first 20 minutes but we kept showing up and that’s the desire you need in order to be a successful squad which Warrington have been for the past five or six years.”