Tony Smith’s words of wisdom to Wakefield following horror start to season
Photo by James Heaton/News Images.
Tony Smith was asked for his words of advice for opposition head coach Mark Applegarth after handing Wakefield their 12th straight defeat of the season.
Tries from Adam Swift, Carlos Tuimavave, Liam Sutcliffe and Scott Taylor saw the visitors claim their third successive victory with a 26-6 scoreline, as well as their fifth win of the season so far.
The two Super League points also sees the side overtake Ian Watson’s Huddersfield on the table, who face Leigh on Friday at the John Smith’s Stadium.
It has been a horror start for Wakefield, who remain winless in 2023 under Applegarth’s first season in charge of the Super League outfit.
Matty Ashurst ensured his side did not fall to their sixth nilling of the year with his second half try, but the defeat makes their Super League survival even tougher.
Smith, 56, surpassed his 500th game as a Super League head coach in 2022 with Hull KR, having also coached Great Britain and England on the international scene.
The MKM Stadium side found themselves in a tricky spot themselves at the start of the season, falling to seven straight losses, but have since turned their season around to climb up the table.
Tony Smith’s advice to Wakefield following 12th straight loss
Asked what advice he would give Wakefield boss Applegarth by Sky Sports presenter Kyle Walker, Smith said: “Stick to what you believe and be true to yourself and your players and keep encouraging them to be better.
“We get judged on whether we win games as coaches, but our job is to get our players to be better people, better players, and that’s all you can focus on.
“And when you do that, they usually improve and so does the team.
“It isn’t all about winning or losing for us coaches, we take care of our players and we invest in our players.
“It’ll come. You’ve got to work hard and the one thing that we made sure that we did, even this year after seven [losses], is stay really positive and believing in each other and working hard with each other.
“I wish them well.”
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