HULL KR coach Craig Sandercock says he will consider handing Super League debuts to two of his rising stars – if they impress against Hull on Sunday.
Hull-born duo Sonny Esslemont and Matty Beharrell will both be handed their first taste of a city derby this weekend.
And Sandercock says the chance is there for them to secure a spot in his side for the season opener against Catalan on February 3.
"Sonny and Matty have really impressed me in the last couple of games," Sandercock told the Mail.
"They both have great futures at this club and have shown signs that they are capable of playing at this level. They are the two who have shone through so far."
The clash at the KC will be Rovers' final warm-up before the new season, and with that in mind, Sandercock is keeping his fingers crossed the game beats the weather.
"We need the game to go ahead because we were very rusty for the first 20 minutes against Wigan and we need another run before we take on a very strong Catalan side," he said.
"I want to field as strong a side as we can against Hull, and we are looking to treat it as close as we can to a Super League game, bearing in mind we'll use 21 or 22 players."
Rovers will be boosted by the return of Craig Hall, who is expected to play alongside Michael Dobson in the halves in a combination the KR coach is likely to use in the first four games of the season, during Travis Burns' suspension.
"Craig is fit and should be available. He really needs a run and we're hopeful he'll be ready to play," Sandercock said.
Rhys Lovegrove was ill last week and he should be right to go this weekend.
"We want to show we have improved in all the little areas that we have been working on in the pre-season."
