YORK City Knights have an excellent chance to win promotion from National League division two and get into rugby league's big-time.

That is the opinion of former Great Britain tourist Graeme Hallas, who has signed for the club from Super League newcomers Huddersfield Giants.

As revealed by the Evening Press yesterday, the 31-year-old has become the latest big name to join the Knights, for whom he will couple playing duties with a coaching role under Paul Broadbent.

And speaking exclusively to the Press, he said the set-up of the new outfit, plus the quality of the players signed up bode well for the future.

"Looking at the club, there is every chance it can move into a position the fans have not been particularly accustomed to in the past," he said, referring to the latter-day struggles of the old York Wasps.

"There are realistic hopes of promotion without a doubt. Myself, Paul and Steve Ferres (chief executive) would not be involved if there wasn't that opportunity to progress. The ambitions of the club match our own personal ambitions."

The Knights beat off stiff competition for the centre, who played a major part in helping Huddersfield win promotion last season. Indeed, his latest call from an interested club came just hours after he signed on the dotted line for the Knights.

"Steve Ferres came to see me and presented his case well. I told him what I wanted for my career and we came to an agreement," he said.

"The challenge is obviously a big part of why I signed, and the foot on the ladder with regards to the coaching is a big part of it. The playing part is also important - you are a long time retired so I want to keep playing."

Hallas was released by Huddersfield in the close-season as he wanted to make his next steps into coaching, his only previous coaching experience having come with Dudley Hill ARLFC, who launched his career.

"The chance to enhance my career at this stage with the assistant coaching duties, which is the next stage as far as my career is concerned, is a big plus," he said.

"It's a challenge for me, just as it is for Paul Broadbent. Neither of us has shied away from a challenge in the past and the opportunity is there for all of us to move forward."

Hallas has an impressive list of playing colleagues down the years, not least the Great Britain side he toured Down Under with in 1992.

The ex-Hull, Hull KR and Halifax star rates Ellery Hanley as the best rugby player he's ever played alongside, while former team-mates also include union greats Michael Lynagh and Phillipe Sella, with whom he played during a season at Saracens RU.

He has played under current Australian RL coach Chris Anderson during a spell with Canterbury Bulldogs, while he says he also learnt a lot last year from highly-rated Huddersfield boss Tony Smith.

"I've tried to take positives and learn from everywhere I have played," he added. "Now I'm looking forward to the challenge at York."

Updated: 11:30 Friday, November 22, 2002