LOCAL boy Danny Allan has extra incentive to play well against home-town club York City Knights on Sunday - mainly to avoid stick from his mates.

The 18-year-old Headingley starlet will be in the Leeds Rhinos line-up for the pre-season friendly at Huntington Stadium.

And, with family, friends and old team-mates from his junior clubs likely to be in the crowd, he is eager to do well. Furthermore, he has a few mates on the opposing team. And he is a Knights fan.

"I know a few of the York players, like Ross Divorty and Tom Hodgson, and we're mates outside of rugby. Hopefully I'll do well against them and it will be a good game," he said.

"It will be good to play in front of the York fans. A lot of people watching will know me.

"The lads from my old club Heworth will be going. And I might get a bit of stick knowing my luck."

As for supporting the Knights, he added: "I don't see them often because of my Leeds commitments, but I watch them now and again and I look out for the results and read about them in the paper."

Allan, who played junior rugby for both Heworth and New Earswick All Blacks amateur clubs, joined the Castleford Tigers scholarship aged 13, and signed for Leeds a couple of years later, after being picked up by Daryl Powell, the ex-Rhinos boss and Knights assistant-coach.

He has represented England at every age group from under-15s to under-18s, being part of the U18s squad the beat France Juniors last summer.

The former Archbishop Holgate School pupil, who lives off Stockton Lane in York, is now on a full-time deal with Leeds, and is progressing through the ranks at Headingley.

He began last season in the Rhinos U18s team that went on to win the junior academy title, but finished it in the U21s, who reached the senior academy grand final.

Allan is hoping to push for first-team recognition this year, and fine performances in Leeds' pre-season friendlies this winter have helped. He was man of the match as a young Leeds side thrashed Hunslet in the annual Lazenby Cup clash, and he also played for 20 minutes for the first team in their game against Wakefield.

He impressed at loose-forward in that match and, while he is predominantly a back-rower or centre, he will start Sunday's game at stand-off, "I've never played stand-off for Leeds. It will be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it," said Allan, who will be part of a young Leeds line-up at Huntington Stadium, given the fact their first team are on a training camp in Florida where they will play an exhibition match against South Sydney on Saturday.

"It will be tough but, if we do the things we're told by the coach, it should be close. If we go away from the game-plan it might be a different story.

"We know what York will bring to us. Our coach, Willie Poching, watched their friendly against Wakefield and knows what they're like."

Super League regular Jamie Thackray will be the biggest name in the Leeds line-up. He was left out of the Florida party having been told he can leave the club.

Leeds Rhinos: Sheldrake, Jones-Bishop, Broughton, Watkins, Archibald, Allan, Brown, Jones, McShane, Thackray, Brown, Howey, Worrall, Hardbottle, Lawton, Fox, Elkington, Clarkson, Ely.