Mark Applegarth has admitted that he has struggled to understand one of the club’s latest disciplinary charges following York Knights’ impressive win over Hull FC.
The Knights completed the season double over the Black and Whites with a narrow win at York last week but three of his players were subsequently charged by the Match Review Panel.
Thankfully for York, none of those players were banned but Knights boss Mark Applegarth has still expressed questions over the charges.
“My thoughts are irrelevant, it is what it is,” he initially responded in his pre-match presser, shared on the club’s YouTube, before offering his opinion,
“I thought a couple of them were pretty tough but I understand why they got cited on the reasons I got given.”
The major query Applegarth had was around Jack Martin’s ‘head contact’ charge, worth three penalty points, with the York boss simply putting it down as an unavoidable clash of heads.
He said: “Some of them are just unavoidable. Marto’s (Jack Martin) was, in my opinion, a clash of heads. I don’t think there was any intent from Marto to go in and head butt him because he came off second best.
“I think that was just two big bodies that came together and ones like that, they’re the ones that I struggle to understand. I get there’s technique in it but I also get the Match Review Panel that it’s a clash of the head and there’s flexion.”
He also asked questions on what Xavier Va’a could do for his ‘late contact on the passer’ charge on James Bell, stating: “He’s grabbed him after he’s passed the ball. It’s really easy when you’re slowing it down in slow motion to say he should have pulled out but when you’ve got a player of James Bell’s quality running at you and fixing you up, to do what Xavier did is about as much mitigation as he can do.
“He’s pulled out of the tackle and grabbed him and made sure he’s not gone to floor.”
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Those charges have not led to bans and likely won’t impact York too much in the future given that 75% of a charge is reduced once a fine is paid, meaning the most-penalised of the recent crop, Jack Martin, will only have 1.5 penalty points going forward.
He’ll also be available this week and there will be a big boost in the pack alongside him as Jesse Dee returns after eight weeks off following two failed HIAs in quick succession.
“Massive, Jesse is obviously a big leader for us,” Applegarth said when addressing Dee’s return.
“He’s a great player, a big personality behind the scenes and he’s been out now for I think eight games.
“He’s been missed, not only for the things you see on the field but how he conducts himself in training every day and the things that he brings there.”
Applegarth also confirmed that Sam Wood is back in contention, adding: “It’s really pleasing to see players of that calibre back available.”
There unfortunately won’t be a return for Ben Jones-Bishop, with the update on the winger putting a possible return at early August.
“Bish won’t be this week,” Applegarth said, adding: “He’s rehabbing really well but he’s still got some boxes he’s got to tick. I don’t think he’s too far off. Without rubbing a crystal ball, you’d say two to three weeks.”
