BRETT WALLER was not the most heralded when he quietly arrived at York City Knights – but the club might just have unearthed a rough diamond.

The big dump-truck of a prop came to Huntington Stadium alongside Lee Waterman last summer but stayed in the shadows while his former Skirlaugh and Great Britain amateur team-mate began accumulating accolades for making a swift step up to semi-professional rugby.

But the 22-year-old, whose brief first-team experience in 2009 was as 18th man, has been the standout player this pre-season, out-shining more illustrious front-row brethren by continually scattering defences like a bowling ball through skittles.

He was named man of the match for the second time in three days yesterday as a Knights reserves team came from 30-10 down against a Castleford academy side to win 36-30 and lift the Paul Higgins Memorial Trophy.

It followed the first-team’s 28-6 defeat of Hull KR reserves on Friday night, and as a spectacle proved a fitting tribute to the late Cas player and Knights development chief who did so much for the game at junior and academy level in both camps.

The fact two 17-year-old Knights scholarship graduates, Joe Dey and Eddie Smith, made their pro debuts, with Smith scoring a superb try, was the appropriate icing on the cake, as Higgins’ proud widow, Marilyn, presented Carl Barrow, the older statesman in the Knights line-up, with the Paul Higgins Memorial Trophy.

Waller was the difference between the two young sides, though, two tries capping his fine weekend.

Of course, only time will tell how he copes with the weekly rigours of Championship One rugby, but current evidence bodes well. Apparently he possesses good hands and an offload game too – albeit something he won’t need to show if he continues to demolish defences like a runaway tank in a field of scarecrows.

Waller got the Knights on the scoreboard on the half-hour mark, after Cas had gone 12-0 up through an early try by centre Nathan Chappel and a follow-up effort by loose-forward Joe Picketts, classy stand-off Ed Barber adding the first two of his five conversions.

The Knights, who in between those tries had built pressure without reward with six consecutive sets, hit back immediately, with two tries in two minutes.

Substitute Waller blasted over, Waterman goaling. Then Adie Hampshire, who worked hard at loose-forward all game, fed Waterman – playing at full-back – and he gave Tom Lineham a chance the speedy right-winger was not going to miss.

There were further flashes of inspiration from Hampshire and Waller, while Jonathan Schofield continually tried to affect proceedings at scrum-half, but it remained 12-10 to the Tigers at half-time.

Trialist Glen Reid was steady if unspectacular at centre, effectively adding defensive bulk at second-row.

Waller blotted his copybook early in the second half with a fumble as Cas got on top, the visitors building an apparently match-winning lead with tries by Josh Nathaniel, Jacob Senior, after slack marker defence, and Joe Arundel, after an awful pass by Barrow had lost possession in the attacking third.

But York’s youngsters showed character aplenty with a five-try blitz in the final quarter – started by teenager Smith.

Schofield’s risky long pass was expertly taken above his head by the winger who then wriggled between two tacklers to sprint home. Smith and Dey are still only on academy contracts.

Barrow made up for his earlier gaffe with a good try to cap a hard-working display, and the lead was reduced to one score as a sublime offload by Hampshire – out of the David March mould – was gobbled up by full-back Danny Wilson, Schofield booting the first of his three late conversions.

A bulldozing 40-metre charge by Waller set the field position from which he himself crossed, the poor defence having little chance of stopping him from close range after Schofield’s pass.

Then, with three minutes left, pivot Paul Stamp – who had injected urgency all game – sharply went to the short side at dummy-half for Chris Clarke to get the winner.

Knights: Waterman, Wilson, Reid, Lewis, Lineham, Stamp, Schofield, Barrow, Williams, Falkingham, Hardbottle, Peacock, Hampshire. Subs (all used): Mitchell, D Bell, Duckworth, Waller, Clark, Dey, Smith.

Tigers: Eden, Lopag, Arundel, Chappel, Dawson, Barber, Smirk, Walker, Milner, Ellington, Wilcox, Siddons, Picketts. Subs (all used): Thompson, Senior, Nathaniel, Pearson, Brearley, Payne, Atkinson.

Referee: Ronnie Laughton (Barnsley).

Attendance: 594.