YORK City Knights' new signings are going to be on show tomorrow with all three set to make their debuts at Huntington Stadium, writes Peter Martini.

Castleford Tigers loanee Adam Thaler is expected to go straight in at stand-off for Jonny Firth, who is out indefinitely after suffering a bad arm injury at Hull KR last week, while York-born former Heworth youngster Scott Rhodes, signed from Dewsbury, and prop Andy Burland, on loan from Doncaster, are both in the 17.

"I expect that they will be involved," said player-coach Paul Broadbent ahead of the clash with his former club, Sheffield Eagles (3pm).

"They've just come on board and they now need to settle down, but they've gone well in training."

With the start of the National League season now less than three weeks away, the Knights can use the three remaining Arriva Trains Cup matches to develop the team ahead of the Division Two campaign.

Broadbent said winning remained important not only for confidence but also for professional pride, but admitted: "With new people coming on board, this is an opportunity to be able to check out the guys and make assessments on a weekly basis.

"Plus there are a few injuries so we have to make some changes anyway. We can have a look at the bigger picture so that when the league season starts we will have the opportunity to select what we think is our best 17.

"But we want to go into it with as much confidence as we can and I believe the guys are not players who go into games not bothered about winning. We will be competing 100 per cent."

As for Sheffield, whom Broadbent led to Challenge Cup glory in 1998, he said: "We only played them three weeks ago and my views haven't changed. They are a quality team.

"(Player-coach) Mark Aston will be coming back from injury and he will give them another dimension."

Wayne Flynn, Jon Bruce, Damian Whitter and winger Ian Thompson are also back in contention, while new Aussie signing Tony Weller came through his debut for the club with no after-effects.

As reported in yesterday's Press, Knights centre Graeme Hallas is ruled out along with Firth and long-term absentees Carl Stannard and Matt Blay-mire, while Alex Godfrey and Lee Jackson face late tests.

Knights: from Smith, Godfrey, Callaghan, Molloy, Beever, Lloyd, Thaler, Krause, Rhodes, Burland, Broadbent, Hayes, Jackson, Robinson, Ramsden, Fletcher, Cain, Westmoreland, Bolus, Embleton.

Updated: 11:56 Saturday, March 29, 2003