Ata Hingano provides the team with a “different dynamic”, says York Knights head coach Andrew Henderson.

The Tonga international featured competitively for the first time under Henderson in the Knights’ 28-14 victory against Barrow Raiders on Sunday, having been forced off with an injury moments before half-time in their final pre-season friendly against Batley Bulldogs in January.

Hingano’s fledgling partnership in the halves with Liam Harris had been flourishing before that, with Henderson admitting that having him back on the pitch was “massively important.”

“ I just think Ata is a quality player, “ he enthused. “There’s no doubt about it.

I think you can see on Sunday, some of his involvements and and the difference that he can make within a game. Let’s not forget he’s still a little bit away from being fully match fit too.

“I thought he had some really telling contributions for the team on Sunday, and it just gives us a different dynamic with our attacking game.

“We have genuine threat on the left. And I think when you add in that left edge with Jesse Dee, Levi Edwards and AJ Towse, it’s pretty potent.

“And then you look on the right and you’ve got James Glover, Liam Harris, Danny Kirmond and Myles Harrison at the moment doing a solid job. That’s a decent side too.

“[We have] some good threat on both sides.

“ I think that was what was good too on Sunday, we had genuine threat to either side.

“The way that Liam and and Ata linked up, they had some really good balance within their game too, which was nice to see.

“Hopefully, that partnership will continue to flourish and and blossom as they spend more time together on the training field and get more games together.

“I still think we’ve got the best yet to come from both those half-back’s.”