HEAD coach James Ratcliffe believes Casey Bromilow can emulate fellow Australian Dave Buckley and become an instant hit with York City Knights fans.

The Press revealed yesterday that an unnamed Aussie was close to agreeing terms at Huntington Stadium, and Bromilow has now confirmed he is set to become the latest to join the Knights crusade.

Ratcliffe reckons the half-back cum hooker can follow in the footsteps of former favourites Trevor Krause, Simon Friend, Chris Levy and Buckley in making a successful switch from down under.

“He looked sharp in training and he’s really keen to get playing,” said Ratcliffe.

“He wanted to train with us all last week but we were a bit smashed with our training schedule due to the weather – we only trained on Friday night.

“But we showed him around and he’s been pretty impressed with how we’ve sold the club to him. He’s played Queensland Cup rugby, which was the same level as Dave Buckley.

“We hope he can have a big impact over here as well."

Brisbane-based Bromilow played for Western Districts, Eastern Suburbs and Redcliffe Dolphins in the Queensland Cup, which is one grade below the top-tier NRL in Australia.

Moreover, he captained a Brisbane representative side and his CV comes with commendations from Brisbane and Queensland rugby league officials. Ratcliffe added: “The references we’ve got have been pretty good and we’ve seen a bit of him on DVD. We’re hoping he will be a good acquisition."

The Knights boss has been in contact with Bromilow for six weeks, after the player – who has British ancestry and a five-year visa so does not count on the overseas quota – put out feelers for a club and was recommended by a mutual friend down under.

The fact the Aussie is based in Ratcliffe’s home town of Dewsbury also helped as they can travel together or with nearby neighbour Danny Ratcliffe.

“There were a couple of other clubs interested," said Ratcliffe. “We’ve offered him terms and he was straightforward with us. There was no messing about."