Long Read Interview: Mark Applegarth

It would be fair to say it has been a difficult start to the season for Wakefield Trinity. The decision to replace Willie Poching with Mark Applegarth prior to the campaign raised a few eyebrows, as did the club’s recruitment, and the fans worst fears have come to fruition after a woeful start to 2023.

Now 12 games into the Super League season, Trinity have lost all 12 and have only scored 77 points in the process, the lowest number for any team at this stage in the history of the competition.

Their latest loss came in arguably their most winnable game so far, as they faced a Hull FC team who, despite a morale-boosting win over Wigan the previous week, have underperformed this season and found themselves just two places above Wakefield heading into the game at Belle Vue.

Despite a close-fought first half, Hull eventually prevailed comfortable 26-6 winners as Trinity’s lack of firepower in attack was again evident in a match that brought an all to famililar feeling to Applegarth.

“Credit to Hull FC, the way they defended their try line and especially in the first-half I thought they showed up for one another,” the Wakefield head coach told Serious About Rugby League.

“In terms of us we come back to that key word again which is composure, we were 6-0 down at half time but we felt that if we kept doing what we’d done then they’d crack and we’d get some joy. Unfortunately for us it was us that cracked first.

“I think the key one for me was that one just after half-time. We’d got into the groove of things but then we give them two penalties and we switched off at marker and they came straight through us, it just seemed to switch the whole momentum of the game.

“That’s what I mean by composure, having that clinicalness about us and that coolness under them situations. It’s a frustrating one but we were our own worst enemy tonight in that sense so we can’t blame anyone else.”

Pressure is now starting to build on Applegarth and his players with the supporters losing patience, with the club’s worst ever start to a league season now looking almost certain to lead to relegation.

Despite this, Applegarth again doubled down on his confidence in the group, having been questioned about his position at the club numerous times, stating that he believes wins will come sooner rather than later.

“They (the players) are showing up for one another and for me in that sense, effort should be there every week in terms of what we want and need,” Applegarth added assertively.

“I’ve just said in the dressing room about the frustration because the effort is there but it’s not enough. We need to get them other ingredients into the pot and make sure they’re cooking as well.

“I do believe we can still stay up. I do think that there’s still a hell of a lot of rugby to be played and we’ve got a four point gap currently, things could change tomorrow but we’ve got a four point gap to claw back.

“If we can get them couple of wins on the board and start putting pressure on them teams around us so I’ve still got full belief that we can.

“I know that sounds probably different for a few people but we do think that. We know we’ve got to get better, we can’t keep on saying the same things and expect a different outcome but the belief is still there.”

As Applegarth mentioned, despite Wakefield losing all 12 of their games to date, they are still only two wins away from climbing up a place and out of the relegation zone.

Trinity’s near neighbours Castleford have only won two of their 12 league games, one of which was against Wakefield, with their new head coach Andy Last struggling to get wins on the board.

And remaining positive, Applegarth is taking inspiration from his opposing coach from Thursday night, Tony Smith, who believes Applegarth should remain in charge because he’s learnt more than anyone from Wakefield’s tough start and will be the best equipped to turn things around.

“I like to think that I’ve got a growth mindset and there’s lessons to be taken in everything in life, whether you’re riding high or you’re pretty low like we are now and it’s just about keeping a level head and an objective head and making sure you are learning your lessons.

“I’d like to think we are, it’s not like it’s us versus them in terms of me and the team. We’re all in it together and I take responsibility for it all.

“The first person I look at, whether it’s good or bad, is myself to make sure I’ve delivered what the team need and the individual needs.

“I wouldn’t disagree with Tony at all about that, it’s a valuable albeit frustrating learning curve.

“If someone had said ‘you’ll be on round 12 without your first win’ then it’s not pretty to hear but that’s the reality, we’ve got to meet it head on and now bury our head in the sand.”

Sky Sports pundit and former St Helens player Jon Wilkin said before the season that he ‘had never heard of’ Applegarth, calling him a novice and a ‘shot in the dark’ from Wakefield.

Despite the harshness of those comments, which Wilkin apologised for at the time, Applegarth remains steadfast in his opinion that he is the man to lead Trinity into the future.

“I knew it was going to be a big job,” he said. “We’re in that vicious cycle and we have been since 2018, which I think was the last time we tasted a bit of playoffs, but we’ve then been hovering around them bottom spots.

“It’s the whole culture that needs a change so that we can break that five-year cycle that we’ve been in, and you could argue twenty-year cycle barring a few seasons here and there. Things are happening off the field and we’ve got to make sure that things happen on the field too.

“As a club we know we need to get better, I know I need to get better, the team know they need to get better and then we’ve got to set certain standards and if people don’t want to adhere to them or can’t then that’s when you make changes.”

It is a crucial time in the history of Wakefield Trinity, with the stadium redevelopment at the historic Belle Vue taking a substantial amount of money out of the club which has seen a cut playing budget.

The recent signing of Luke Gale could be seen as an act of desperation, but it also may be a masterstroke that sees Wakefield turn things around in the second half of the season and allow their new-look stadium to continue to host Super League rugby.

In the immediate short term, attentions from Applegarth and his players are now turned to this Friday’s Challenge Cup clash against fellow Super League opposition Leigh Leopards.

The Leopards, who were promoted to Super League last season, have thrived in the top flight this time around with their seven wins to date seeing them sit fifth in the competition – with one of those wins a convincing 32-0 win against Wakefield at Belle Vue last month.

In fact, Adrian Lam’s side have won their last four matches and speaking ahead of their game this weekend, Applegarth revealed that there will be new faces coming into his side for the tie, though he still plans to field a strong side.

“It’s a prestigious competition and we want to give it the respect it deserves,” Applegarth added. “There will be a couple of lads that will have to freshen up for obvious reasons because they’ve been playing massive minutes so we’ve got to make sure they’re ready for the league.

“If we were in a different situation then we’d be having a different conversation but every game is important and we want to pick up some momentum somehow, but at the same time we need to be smart in terms of members of the squad who’ve played a hell of a lot of rugby.”