Wakefield Trinity have appointed Mark Applegarth as their new head coach.
Applegarth steps up from being an assistant coach, one of several roles he has held on Trinity’s staff since 2015, following the departure of Willie Poching.
He also played for his hometown club between 2004 and 2008, in a career which later took in York City Knights, Central Queensland Cowboys and Batley Bulldogs.
Returning to Wakefield as player performance manager, the 37-year-old later became head of youth and has played a key role in the development of many of the current first-team players that he will now take full charge of from the 2023 season.
Wakefield chairman John Minards said of Applegarth: “He is well respected across the whole club and widely regarded as one of the most talented young coaches in the game.
“His appointment comes at a pivotal time as we are undertaking a major redevelopment of our stadium and celebrate our 150th anniversary in 2023.”
Applegarth said: “I’m delighted to take up the role, it’s an honour and a privilege to be in charge of my hometown club.
“I want to succeed and do well for Wakefield Trinity. The club is bigger than us all and I just want to take it forward into the new phase of its history.”
