Wakefield boss hints at Mason Lino decision amidst Leeds speculation

Wakefield coach Mark Applegarth says Mason Lino remains a key player for the club, following speculation linking him to a move to Leeds.

Lino, 29, is in his third season at the Super League strugglers and Trinity are hopeful that he will sign a new deal to prolong his stay.

When asked about talk linking Lino to Leeds, Applegarth said: “Not that I know of.

“I’ve got a really good relationship with Mason. I think there’ll be some good news over the next two or three days all being well in regards to some of our players who are out of contract.

“I know it seems like there has been loads of negative press coming out but there has been a lot of work behind the scenes on getting the culture to where we want and players that we’ve identified who are going to be key to that so I’ll probably leave it at that.

“Mason Lino is obviously a key part of all that.”

‘Heading in the right direction’

Wakefield have recently signed Luke Gale from Keighley, though he is yet to make his debut.

They have lost all 12 of their Super League games so far and are odds on favourites for relegation to the Championship.

But with the off-field progress being made at the club, with the development of a new stand at Belle Vue, any drop outside of the top flight may be a short one.

Applegarth added: “He’s a free agent come November at this moment in time but Mason is a key part of what I see as a rebuild of this club.

“There’s no hiding away from the fact that its a difficult year but there’s a lot of positives around Wakefield Trinity.

“I know you might not hear that a lot but if we can get through this year, which I’ve got full confidence we will, there’s a new stadium built and there’s a lot of salary cap that we can spend and there’s a lot of things heading in the right direction.

“Mason will be key to building a new Wakefield Trinity team that can be competing every week in Super League so naturally he is a player that we’ve been trying to get secured.”

Lino played in the NRL for New Zealand Warriors and Newcastle Knights before moving to Super League, and he has also won three caps for Samoa.

A planned move to France with Carcassonne fell through in 2014 due to a shoulder injury.

The half-back could surpass the 300 point milestone for Wakefield this weekend when they take on Leigh in the Challenge Cup.

He has scored 131 goals and eight tries in 60 appearances to date.

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