Wakefield suffer injury blow in Salford defeat

Wakefield will be without key hooker Liam Hood for Friday’s game against Hull KR due to concussion protocol.

The Scotland international failed a head injury assessment in their 14-13 golden point defeat to Salford on Sunday afternoon.

Concussion protocol now means he will be unavailable for Friday’s home game against Hull KR at Belle Vue on Friday.

Speaking after their defeat at Salford, Applegarth said: “Hoody went (down) to a HIA, so he’ll be out of Friday night going through the protocols, so it was a good job we got Bowesy (Harry Bowes) back fit.

“We moved Jordy (Crowther) to nine for that last part, purely because I wanted to get Renouf (Atoni) back on.

“I knew Jordy could cover a 10 or 15 minute stint there, so we’ll look at what options we’ve got there.”

Praise for Wakefield “general” Mason Lino

Trinity came close to securing their first win of the season on Sunday afternoon, but we denied by a Marc Sneyd drop goal in the 85th minute.

Samoa international Lino was unlucky to be on the losing side, and he received praise from his head coach after the full-time hooter.

Applegarth added: “Mason is the scrum half at the end of the day, he is the general taking you around the field. Mason has been trying his best every single game.

“He’s integral to what we do. We are a bit busted in certain positions and we are actively looking for people that are going to strengthen us.

“What I don’t want to do is get someone in just for the sake of getting someone in.

“I thought Sam Hewitt was excellent today who we have got from Huddersfield. That’s the sort of signing we want to make, someone who makes an impact and makes us a better team and I thought Sam did that today.”

A bitter pill to swallow for Mark Applegarth

Applegarth said their 14-13 defeat at Salford was a tough one to take after being so close to picking up their first win of the campaign.

He added: “It stings a bit but I can’t fault them for effort.

“I was proud of the boys’ efforts. The boys are trying their hardest. They gave 100 per cent but this was a game that came down to one moment.

“Salford are one of the most dangerous attacking teams in the league so we knew what sort of threat they would pose. We didn’t get into any good field positions until late in that second half and had to be patient.

“We always knew there were points in us – I have never really panicked about it. We’ve had to change a few things because of injuries but we knew things would turn around. We need to have a bit of belief.

“It will sting for a day or two but then we’ll start looking forward to Hull KR.

“I thought we showed a lot of togetherness as a group. I cannot ask for more from the lads.

“There is a strong bond in the group and you can’t ask for any more than that. We want to be getting the wins on the board but you’ve got to stay true to your beliefs and systems.

“We will take today’s result on the chin and look where we can improve.”

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