Will Dagger on ‘mad’ few days as he discusses Hull KR exit

Will Dagger will go straight in to the Wakefield team to face champions St Helens on Friday after a whirlwind week saw him move on from Hull KR, where he was the club’s longest serving player.

Still only 24, Dagger was part of a swap-deal that saw Corey Hall go in the opposite direction, a move which raised eyebrows especially among the Wakefield fanbase.

But with first choice full-back Max Jowitt sidelined through injury, coach Mark Applegarth was desperate to get some quality in at full-back and Dagger fit the bill.

In his first appearance in front of the press following the move, Dagger opened up about the move and his time at Hull KR.

He said: “It’s been a mad couple of days. First thing I heard was on Sunday and then it got finalised on Monday night.

“It’s good to know that I’m going to be playing.

“I was trying to push at Hull KR and push myself in to the starting team, and I had a chat with Willie and he said he thought it would be better that I was playing regular rugby.

“I was the longest serving player there, I’ve not played many games due to my injuries and things like that. I’m only 24 so I feel like I’m coming in to a prime year and I just need to be playing. I’m ready to get out on the field and rip in with the lads.

“It’s a very big, family orientated club. Everything they do, family’s involved in it. They’ve done lots of things for me, helped me out, helped my missus out and on days where there’s no childcare and I’m training and she’s at work, Sue at KR offered to look after the young fella while I can go and train and get better. Just little things like that, they’re always happy to help.

“It was hard to leave. But I think now’s the time. I feel like it’s the right thing for me to be playing.”

History maker

Dagger will be one of two new faces in Applegarth’s squad for the daunting trip to St Helens, after Innes Senior joined on loan from Huddersfield.

Applegarth admitted there may be some player movement in his squad, as he looks to try and find the winning formula after six straight defeats at the start of the new Super League season.

Signing players in key positions has been a priority, and Dagger will now look to establish himself as a starting full-back, something he’s not quite been able to do at Craven Park due to a combination of injury and the quality in front of him in the likes of Lachlan Coote and formerly Adam Quinlan.

From Pontefract, Dagger came through the academy at Warrington where he made four appearances before making the move to Hull KR ahead of the 2018 season.

He has spent time on loan at York, Featherstone and Leigh, where he played alongside current Trinity hooker Liam Hood.

In his six years with Hull KR, Dagger made 51 appearances – including three this season.

His last outing was a historic one, as Dagger entered the history books as the first ever 18th man to be used in a Super League match.

He came on for Hull KR away at Catalans after the Robins had suffered three concussions in the game. The new rule was brought in at the start of the season to help encourage players to report concussion symptoms, without the fear of it leaving their side short on a match day.

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