Super League 2023: Wakefield Trinity boss Mark Applegarth ready to lead home-city club's challenge

By his own admission, Mark Applegarth was not the most naturally talented rugby league player.

The work he did in carving out a 12-year professional career which included four seasons in the Super League with home city club Wakefield Trinity helped him realise he may have a future in coaching though.

Now head coach of Trinity, having been appointed Willie Poching's successor in September last year, Applegarth is putting all those skills into helping equip the club's current generation of players defy the naysayers who are once again tipping them for relegation.

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"I wasn't one of these players who was blessed with outstanding talent," Applegarth told Sky Sports. "I had to work hard and understand why I was doing what I was doing, and how to break a skill down.

"I suppose that got me the bug, and I enjoy seeing people learn and develop. It's something I've had in the back of my mind, even when I was playing.

"I've worked hard to get where I want to be, and I just enjoy that process of seeing people fulfil their potential and get where their ability allows them to be."

Having taken his first steps in coaching during his second spell with part-timers York in 2015, combining the role with playing after suffering a serious knee injury, Applegarth transitioned to the club's off-field staff on a permanent basis two years later when he hung up his boots.

From there, the former Stanley Rangers junior returned to Wakefield as head of youth, where he nurtured some of the homegrown talent which has broken into Trinity's first-team squad in recent years.

That includes Lewis Murphy, the 20-year-old winger who burst onto the scene in 2022 and has recently been linked with a move to NRL giants Sydney Roosters, and Applegarth is eager to continue bringing the area's best youngsters into the fold.

"It's a hotbed of rugby league," Applegarth said. "If you look over the last 50 years how many players that West Riding of Yorkshire has produced it would be a ridiculous stat.

"Our job as a club is to make sure we retain and nurture the best talent. You can't retain it all and people are - rightly so - going to come looking for that talent, but we've got make sure we've got a club people want to be proud to represent.

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"With a new stadium being built and things like that, it's an exciting time to be involved with Wakefield Trinity."

Applegarth's rugby league experience extends far beyond his home, and stints with York and Batley Bulldogs though, having spent two years playing club rugby in Australia with New South Wales outfit Temora Dragons and then with Rockhampton-based Central Queensland Comets.

Those experiences and working under Australian coaches helped shaped the 43-year-old's ideas of how to go about his business now he is in the head coach role, along with having a big impact on him outside of sport.

"I'd recommend it to any person, not just in sport but any walk of life or whatever their profession is. If their career allows them to go experience a different lifestyle and culture, go do it because it develops you as a person," Applegarth said.

I've worked hard to get where I want to be, and I just enjoy that process of seeing people fulfil their potential and get where their ability allows them to be.

"It was a really enjoyable couple of years for me, I learnt loads about rugby - not only playing-wise, but I worked with some excellent coaches.

"The strength and depth of the talent down there is scary - it's just like Premier League football over here - but it's some really fond memories of my life and a really good experience."

Applegarth will get to see the fruits of his labours in pre-season when Wakefield take to the field for the first match of the 2023 Super League campaign at home to Catalans Dragons on Friday, February 17 (kick-off 7.30pm).

Trinity, 10th-place finishers in 2022, are favourites to be relegated this year, but the redevelopment work ongoing at the Be Well Support Stadium and the signings of ex-New Zealand international Kevin Proctor and Canterbury Bulldogs forward Renouf Atoni have given Applegarth plenty of cause for optimism.

"I can't thank the board enough," Applegarth said. "I don't think it's any secret we spend the least in Super League in terms of the [salary] cap, but I like to think we've been really smart in how we've gone about with our signings.

"I remember sitting down with John [Minards, chairman] and Michael [Carter, CEO] and identifying the gaps we had in the squad, and once we identified the targets, I have to commend Michael how he went about getting them secured.

"It was an eye-opener for me just seeing how negotiations went at that level, so they've been great. I think the squad we've got together, as long as we can keep everyone fit and available, I don't see any reason we can't compete with anyone."

The new Super League season starts on Thursday, February 16 as Warrington Wolves host Leeds Rhinos. Watch 66 live matches, including Magic Weekend, the play-offs and the Grand Final, on Sky Sports in 2023 and stream on NOW TV.