ASH ROBSON is being lined up for a possible dual-registration switch to home-town club York City Knights.

The teenage full-back cum half-back, a junior starlet with York Acorn ARLC, is about to start his second season with Castleford, the Knights’ partner club, after moving to the Tigers’ academy from Leeds Rhinos a year ago.

He has been promoted to the Super League club’s first-team ranks – given squad number 27 – but boss Daryl Powell revealed the 19-year-old’s rugby league education could well continue this year with a dual-reg stint in League One, once he gets back from a broken hand.

Back-rower Brandon Westerman, 18, and prop Will Maher, 19, are two other academy players on the first-team fringes who may make a similar switch.

“Ash has had an outstanding pre-season but then broke his hand,” said Powell, who led the Tigers to one of their best seasons of the Super League era last year.

“He’s a player for the future, certainly. He’s a York lad and he might get some game-time there possibly.

“Brandon Westerman is another who’s got a lot going for him. He’s quick and aggressive, and he could be somebody who could play some time there.

“We’ll see. At the minute we’ve got a couple of injuries and I need to work my way through that and see where we are. I will have a chat with James Ford (Knights boss) in the next week or so and look to firm something up soon.”

The Knights’ dual-reg partnership with Cas last year saw only four players turn out for York on dual-reg. The clear pick was Ben Reynolds, who was a regular and went on to be named joint Championship One Young Player of the Year with team-mate James Saltonstall. He has since signed for Championship favourites Leigh.

First-team ace Jake Webster played one game on return from injury early in the year, as did prop Dan Fleming, while young gun Brad Day got four games late in the season.

The partnership was still deemed a far greater success than the preceding agreement with Hull, partly due to the players’ attitudes.

Said Powell: “Ben Reynolds was a pretty strong player for them.

“Brad Day played there a bit and Jake Webster had a game and, although in Jake’s case it was not a significant period of time, James Ford has said they gained a lot from it because of his experience.

“It’s important the players go there with an outstanding attitude.

We were getting something out of it as well as York.”

Meanwhile, Powell admitted not knowing details behind the Knights’ current homelessness so could not comment with any authority on the situation.

But he joined the throng calling for the club to get back into the community stadium project.

“Rugby league has been in York for years and years. It’s a big part of the community and it’s a big part of the town,” said the former Great Britain international, who had a stint as coaching consultant at Huntington Stadium in the mid-2000s. while on the Leeds Rhinos staff.

“It’s pretty important they’re looked after properly by the council.

“Sport can give so much to the local community and hopefully that’s going to be recognised by the decision-maker."