Mark Applegarth: Wakefield Trinity appoint new head coach

Mark Applegarth (right) had spells with Wakefield, Batley and York as a player

Wakefield Trinity have appointed Mark Applegarth as their new head coach.

The 37-year-old replaces Willie Poching after the New Zealander was let go by the Super League club on Monday.

Applegarth started his playing career with Wakefield and returned to the club as a coach in 2015.

"It came out of the blue. We've got to move forward now and obviously I'm delighted and honoured to be in charge of my hometown club," he told BBC Radio Leeds.

"I want to succeed and take the club forward into a new stage of its history with the stadium redevelopment.

"I'm a Wakefield lad and a proud Wakefield lad. We've had a period where we've been facing relegation and things like that so it would be good to put us back on the map for the right reasons."

Trinity finished the season strongly to secure 10th place in Super League, 10 points clear of relegated Toulouse.

However, despite five wins from their final seven matches they parted company with Poching and Cummins, with chairman John Minards saying at the time the club needed a "change in our coaching set-up".

As it stands, Applegarth will be the youngest head coach in Super League for the 2023 season.