Mark Applegarth shuts down Brian Carney on Wakefield Trinity being favourites for relegation

Wakefield Trinity are heading into a new era and it’s a very youthful era with Mark Applegarth taking the club over following Willie Poching’s departure.

That makes him the youngest boss in the Super League and he’s in charge of a very young team too, one that has lost plenty of senior players.

The likes of Jacob Miller, David Fifita and Tom Johnstone have all left Belle Vue whilst recruitment has been limited to just four players.

Off contract Kiwi Kevin Proctor has joined, NRL talent Renouf Atoni is another to bolster their pack whilst Samisoni Langi joins from Catalans and Morgan Smith is elevated into Super League from Championship side Featherstone.

That combination of squad and young coaching, plus the recruitment of those teams tipped to also finish bottom half, has left Wakefield rock bottom of the bookmakers odds to win the title, and favourites to drop down.

At the Super League launch today Brian Carney questioned Applegarth on that fact, the blunt question: “are Wakefield getting relegated”, fired in the 38-year-old’s direction.

“We don’t really listen to that. People get paid to have an opinion, but I get paid to coach and the players get paid to play.

“We’re in a good place. It would be good to have a team fitting of the redeveloped ground.”

That team has gelled well in pre-season with three wins to kick off however the 56-0 drubbing from Hull FC, even in spite of them playing plenty of youngsters, has made relegation concerns resurface.

Applegarth continued and spoke in particular on one new signing.

“I think we’ve recruited well with people like Kevin Proctor.”

Proctor is a veteran forward and the former Kiwi international has won almost everything there is to win but managing to help Wakefield stay afloat and in Super League this year could be a task too far, at least that’s what the bookies think.