AN injury-free campaign could fire York Rugby League Club to the heady heights of a top five play-off place in the first division next season.

That's the verdict of coach Dean Robinson as he prepares his troops for the big kick off next month.

It will be a tough task, but Robinson is confident his players are up for the challenge. "A top eight finish would be a good season but I'm a winner by nature and would like to see us in the top five. To do that we would have to stay injury free," he said.

"Only having 23 guys to take into a 30-plus league and cup programme is a difficult task but I believe we can be a surprise package.

"I have a limited budget and on paper I shouldn't have a side to take us to the Grand Final but on the day it's about 13 guys and a subs bench to match.

"The way we played at the end of last season we could have beaten anybody in the first and second division and if we continue like that then money will count for nothing and we will give a good account of ourselves.

"We need to stay injury free or the lack of strength in depth could begin to show. If fates are cruel and we pick up a lot of injuries we will have a difficult year. But morale and camaraderie among the lads is great and they're up for the task."

York could be aided by a favourable fixture list which sees them face three of the division's strongest teams, Widnes, Featherstone and Dewsbury, just once. They have also avoided a trip to Whitehaven.

It is a fact which has not gone unnoticed by Robinson, though he is not in favour of the new fixture format which sees each club play six others just once throughout the season.

He said: "We've come out of it very well but I don't like a format where at the end of the season you can live or die by which teams you only play once.

"I don't think we're batting off a level playing field and I hope the difference between fifth and sixth place isn't that one club had an easier six games.

"For want of an extra six games a fairer system would have been to play everyone home and away then you would be there on merit."

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