DANGERMAN Jim Elston says there is no way he will be forced to sit out Sunday's showdown - pain or no pain.

The pace ace took a bang near his hip which forced him off early on in Sunday's LHF Healthplan National League Two elimination semi-final win over Workington.

But he is confident of being ready for the Grand Final against Halifax, dubbing it the biggest game of his career.

Full-back Chris Smith is also set to play despite niggling groin trouble which has restricted his training this week.

"It's looking good," Elston told the Evening Press. "Whatever happens I'm going to play. It's only 80 minutes and I'll go through the pain barrier if needs be."

Elston has not trained this week, instead spending time in physiotherapy. "I'm having treatment every day and it will be okay," he said.

"There's probably nothing that would stop me playing. A broken leg might, but even then I would try."

Elston, second in the Knights' try-scoring charts this season with 17 from 29 appearances, of which 21 have been off the bench, started Sunday's match at loose-forward, to be replaced by Mark Cain. The substitute went on to score a club record five tries in a match, leaving coach Richard Agar with a nice selection headache.

Elston said: "He did all right, didn't he. I was laid out on the floor and kept looking up to see him getting over the line. He's got a spark to his game and it was good to see him playing well."

Smith, meanwhile, had painkilling injections in his groin ahead of the Workington match and is likely to have more jabs this week. However, having not risked the injury in the previous play-off against Halifax, he too was confident of passing fit.

"I'm probably not going to train until Saturday and I'll test it then," he said. "But it's the last game of the season, a Grand Final, and I don't want to miss it."

The 28-year-old, a veteran of two Super League Grand Finals with St Helens, should hopefully therefore be able to use his experience to benefit the Knights.

He said: "I think that's why Richard (Agar) wanted to save me in the last game against Halifax just in case we didn't win, saying my experience could be invaluable this weekend.

"We can improve 100 per cent on when we played them last time. But on the day it's how both teams turn up. I don't think Workington turned up fully switched on but we gave one of our best performances of the year and hopefully we'll do the same if not better on Sunday."

Updated: 10:05 Thursday, October 07, 2004