YORK City Knights are reeling from a new injury blow after Rhys Clarke was ruled out for a few weeks with a shoulder injury suffered in training, while front-line hooker Jack Lee is also now a doubt for Sunday’s clash with Halifax.

The Knights had a particularly tough session on Tuesday night in response to the defeat at Dewsbury on the opening day of the Co-operative Championship campaign at the weekend.

It was declared a “very positive” workout, but the downside was that February Press Player of the Month Clarke needed hospital treatment after damaging the joint. Lee did not finish the session because of a back problem.

Player-boss Chris Thorman said: “We did video work and there was a players’ meeting. As we’ve said, we fell off too many one-on-one tackles on Sunday. We have to fix it up, and it was a great session (on Tuesday night), but these things (injuries) happen.”

Clarke, who turned 21 on Monday, will miss the Halifax match and looks likely to also sit out the Challenge Cup tie with Hull Dockers a week later and the trip to Leigh on Friday, March 30.

In better news, fellow second-row Ed Smith, forced to sit out the Dewsbury game, is fit again and available for selection.

Paul King is making some progress in his bid to be fit for Sunday but his elbow problem again prevented him from training on Tuesday, while James Haynes is now to see former Huddersfield and Bradford rugby league physio Martin Higgins – a mentor of Knights physio Dan Ramsden – to try to get to the bottom of his sciatic nerve problem. Fellow long-term absentee Waine Pryce remains on the treatment table.

Meanwhile, Adam Howard returns to the line-up for the Knights’ Reserve Team Championship match at home to Sheffield tonight (8pm). Howard has sat out his one-match ban for kicking towards the end of the Northern Rail Cup win over Gateshead.

Joe Hemmings is also back from the sternum injury that ruled him out of the reserves’ loss to Halifax last week.

Ryan Tunningley, a trialist outside-back from the Castleford area who has signed reserves forms, makes his debut, while another outside-back, New Earswick ARLC product Jack Law, is promoted from the under-18s.

Admission is free for season ticket holders and vice-presidents, otherwise £4 for adults and £1 for under-16s. Entry is via Bar 13 from 7pm.

Knights reserves (probable): Dent, A Haynes, Tunningley, Poutney, Law, Craig, Williams, Stearman, Gay, Burns, Hutchinson, Hemmings, Brining. Subs: Winstanley, Barber, Howard, Anholm.