YORK City Knights are hoping injured duo Scott Rhodes and Graeme Hallas will be okay to make next Sunday's National Two clash against Gateshead Thunder.

Rhodes and Hallas both looked to have suffered serious injuries in the 25-18 defeat by Sheffield Eagles yesterday, however, it appears the news from the Knights' treatment room is not as bad as first feared.

Rhodes, who was celebrating being named Rugby League World's player of the month for July, went down clutching his left knee just nine minutes into the game and looked to be in real agony as he was stretched off.

But, despite damaging his medial ligament in his knee, he was able to hobble out to the bench for the second half to lend his support to Knights.

Player-assistant-coach Hallas also had to be helped from the field and taking a bang to the head not long after coming off the bench.

Having been tackled, Hallas got up but seemed dazed and did not appear to know where he was, with the Knights backroom staff having to help him to the bench.

However, player-coach Paul Broadbent, who himself is out of action with a knee injury, is now hoping both should be fine.

"Graeme had a bit of the knock and was struggling a little, but he appears to have come around now," he told the Evening Press. "Scott was walking afterwards so hopefully it will settle down pretty quickly and he'll be all right, although he took a knock on his medial ligament."

Broadbent believes the loss of two key players, plus the sin-binning of Alex Godfrey on the stroke of half-time, played havoc with the Knights' organisation, although he was not willing to use it as an excuse for the defeat by a strong Eagles side.

"We had one or two things happen out there where we have had to reshuffle things round and we were not particular comfortable with the positional aspect at the end of it, but that is by the by," he said. "You have got 17 men that you select and you have to get around it the best way you can.

"We had a go, but at times, I think they looked more like they wanted to win it more. We spent a long, long time defending and that take the spring out of your step when you have got the ball in your hands.

"Towards the end of the game we had some tired legs out there because we had not done the simple things.

"We've played some pretty good stuff in recent weeks, but we can't take any credit away from Sheffield, who came and were very enthusiastic and defensively in our faces. They knocked us off our game after we were playing some pretty structured stuff.

"In weeks gone by, when we scored just after the break (Neil Law's try) we would have consolidated and then moved on from there.

"But we didn't do the things we set out to do and we ended up back on our own line and defensively under pressure and those are the things that wear you down."

Updated: 11:10 Monday, July 28, 2003