WILL Dagger is back in York Knights' preliminary squad for Sunday's Betfred Championship Play-off Semi-Final at Wakefield Trinity, although boss Mark Applegarth believes this weekend's match will come too soon for the full-back.

Dagger, who has not featured for the club since August's shock win in Toulouse after sustaining a soleus calf injury, replaces winger Brad Ward in the Knights' only change.

Applegarth admitted this week's match would likely come too soon for the 25-year-old to feature against his former club, saying: "He’s not far off, I just doubt he’ll be ready for this Sunday.

“I think it’s one of those with Dags, we don’t want to rush him back."

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York will be hoping to claim a first win at Wakefield since 1984, but the League Leaders' Shield and AB Sundecks 1895 Cup winners will prove stern opposition.

Wakefield have won all three of the sides' previous meetings in 2024 and have been unbeaten at the DIY Kitchens Stadium all season.

But the Knights head into the clash off a final month of the campaign that has pitted them against four of the division's top seven teams and are buoyed by a 27-10 victory against Widnes Vikings in last week's Play-off Eliminator.

YORK KNIGHTS TO FACE WAKEFIELD TRINITY: Antrobus, Bailey, Brown, Cook, Cunningham, Dagger, Daley, Dee, Field, Harris, Hingano, Jubb, Law, Lineham, Martin, Michael, Santi, Ta'ai, Teanby, Thompson, Williams.