Sheffield Eagles v Halifax: Yorkshire derby is timely test for both

They go up against one of the Championship’s four full-time clubs for the first time this season.

Halifax eased to a 52-6 win over Whitehaven in their opener last weekend and Marshall is not expecting to make any alterations to his squad.

“I can’t see there being many changes, if any at all, to the side that played at the weekend,” he said, ahead of a game with opponents who also won convincingly, 42-12 at Workington.

“Luke Ambler’s been ill this week, but I’d imagine he will be okay.

“We’ve got other guys pushing for places, but I don’t think we were ever under enough pressure against Whitehaven to be able to make any real judgements about the 17 players who played last weekend.

“That will change against Sheffield; they’re a full-time side and they’re all about high percentages and doing the little things well.”

Marshall added: “They’ve probably been able to do 50 per cent as much work as us again so they’ll be a little bit fitter and a little bit stronger.

“They get good go-forward from Scott Wheeldon and Mark Mexico and they’ve got one of the best players in the comp in QLT (Quentin Laulu-Togagae). He’s hurt us a few times in the past and we need to defend him better than we did at times last season.”

Sheffield, like Halifax, made the top-four last season and produced some encouraging displays in the Qualifiers despite being just part-time. Mark Aston has taken his squad fully professional for 2016, though, and will be expecting results.