COMPOSURE and commitment is key - even if it means a boring match.

That's the opinion of York City Knights' half-back Pat Smith ahead of Sunday's do-or-die semi-final with arch-foes Hunslet Hawks at Huntington Stadium.

The 24-year-old - one of three Knights players in the running for the Kingstone Press Championship One Player of the Year prize - was in the Sheffield squad that won the Championship play-offs in 2012 and 2013, the biggest prize in rugby league below Super League. He also played in a Northern Rail Cup final, so has experience of big knockout games at this level.

And he reckons that going through processes, allied to immense enthusiasm, can yet see his home-town club to knockout glory this year - getting them into the Grand Final at the second attempt and back on course for promotion.

"I think we just need to work on our composure a bit," said Smith, looking back to Sunday's 31-12 defeat in the qualifying semi-final to an Oldham side who await the winners of this weekend's tie.

"People like myself, Ben (Reynolds), Jack (Lee) and Kriss (Brining) - the decision-makers across the field - we perhaps lacked that bit of composure.

"We were trying maybe too hard to come up with big plays by ourselves and win the game on an individual level. But we need to work together and stick to our game.

"We've got processes and systems in place that we've had all year and that got us to the top of the table. It's important we stick to them.

"I think that will be massively important.

"Leeds stuck to their processes really well in the Challenge Cup final against Castleford and they won. It was maybe a bit boring but it got them the result. That's what knockout football is about a lot of the time - staying composed, keeping to structures and doing what works.

"When we won the Grand Final at Sheffield, the team stuck to structures. We had good structures there and we've got good structures here that Gary Thornton (head coach) and James Ford (player/assistant-coach) have put in place."

Smith, Reynolds and Lee go up against Gateshead skipper Jason Payne for the league's Player of the Year accolade at the annual presentation dinner Manchester on Tuesday night.

Smith says they are determined that the ceremony isn't their last act of note this season, with the Grand Final following at Headingley on October 5.

"Another thing we had at Sheffield was good team spirit, and this year at York we've got that in abundance," added Smith.

"There's great team spirit and we're all best mates. We were gutted for each other on Sunday. James Haynes said some good things, though. He got us in a huddle and got us together. That camaraderie and brotherhood will serve us well and is another comparison I can draw from Sheffield.

"James Ford also pointed out that when Oldham got that interception try, we had seven people chasing back as hard as they could, even though it was a lost cause.

"That spirit is something that can take us through."