Wakefield Trinity appoint Mark Applegarth as their new head coach

Wakefield have appointed Mark Applegarth as their new head coach, succeeding Willie Poching who was relieved of his duties earlier this week.

Applegarth will make the step up to head coach after previously serving as assistant coach, reserve coach and head of youth.

He is now the youngest head coach in Super League at 37, taking the mantle from Wigan’s Matt Peet.

Wakefield chairman John Minards said: “We are delighted to have appointed Mark as our new head coach.

“He is well-respected across the whole club; and widely regarded at one of the most talented young coaches in the game.

“His appointment comes at pivotal time for the club as we are undertaking a major redevelopment of our stadium and celebrate our 150th anniversary in 2023.

“We are looking forward to working with Mark as we complete our coaching team and playing squad for the coming season.”

More on Mark Applegarth

Applegarth was born and raised in Wakefield. He joined his hometown club as a junior in 2000, signing professional terms in 2004.

He made 47 first team appearances for Trinity before joining York in 2008.

The former prop or back-rower made more than 70 appearances for York before spending two years in Australia with Queensland Cup side Central Queensland Capras.

Applegarth then moved back to England in 2012 with Batley. He retired from playing in 2016 following three more seasons with York.

The Yorkshireman returned to Wakefield in 2015 as player performance manager before becoming head of youth in 2017. He combined his role with that of first team assistant and reserve coach in 2022.

Applegarth has overseen the developments of the likes of James Batchelor, Jack Croft and Lewis Murphy from the youth ranks into the first team.

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