Wakefield Trinity are doing it tough.
Not only have they lost their first five games of the season and they have picked up a number of injuries the latest of which was Liam Hood whose concussion saw them bring in Wigan Warriors hooker Tom Forber on a short term loan having already brought in Huddersfield Giants’ Sam Hewitt,
On this latest signing, Mark Applegarth said to BBC Sport West Yorkshire:
“With Liam Hood being out with concussion protocol and Liam Kay playing at full-back and having picked up a bit of a bump himself, we just felt we needed a bit of depth there.
“We’ve got young Harvey Smith in the academy but we felt it’s a bit too soon and we don’t want to over expose him too young, so we felt a short term move until we get fresher bodies back would suit everyone.”
Applegarth also confirmed that Wakefield enquired about bringing former player and new Leeds Rhinos signing Luke Hooley to the club on loan after the injury to Max Jowitt:
“Luke’s a player that I signed myself at Wakefield so I’ve known him since the academy, so naturally I did enquire about Luke I don’t think there’s any secret there.
“He’s just come back from an ankle injury himself and Leeds have played him in their reserves. I think Leeds have got a few injury concerns themselves and rightly so they’re keeping him there in case they need him.
“Knowing Luke’s ability, if there is any gaps then he’ll git straight into their team. He’s a player I rate very highly so hopefully we’ll see him play some Super League soon, I’ll be looking forward to seeing him.
“We enquired about Luke and about a number of full-backs. I think apart from the Huddersfield Giants squad, which has got some really good depth to it, I don’t think there’s massive depth in a lot of Super League squads this year.
“So if they are picking up one or two injuries they’re wanting to keep the players internal and that’s completely understandable. It’s not been as easy as in previous years but it is what it is, you crack on.”
