Catalans Dragons v Wakefield Trinity: Max Jowitt can provide spark, says Mark Applegarth

The full-back has not featured since round one after undergoing ankle surgery following a freak accident in training.

Jowitt scored a try in the 38-24 home loss to Catalans Dragons on the opening weekend, the first of 13 straight defeats for Applegarth's men.

In a twist of fate, the 26-year-old will make his comeback against the Dragons in Perpignan tonight.

Jowitt is likely to line up alongside new half-back pairing Mason Lino and Luke Gale in a revamped spine.

"We've missed him massively," said Applegarth.

"For me, Max Jowitt is one of the best attacking full-backs in the league.

"As I've said many a time, his pass selection is great out the back. He's got pace to burn so he's a running threat as well.

"We've been working hard on the defensive side of his game, which I'm not saying he was bad at but he knew he needed to work on.

"At the age he's coming into now, he's got his best years of rugby ahead of him.

"I just hope he gets a bit of luck on the injury front so he can have a consistent season or two where he can take that next step and hopefully start putting his name forward for representative honours.

"He's an excellent player. It feels like he's been around for an eternity and you keep forgetting he's only 26."

Round one is as good as it has got for Trinity in an attacking sense, with Applegarth's side scoring only 53 points in the 11 Super League games since.

After exiting the Challenge Cup last week following a heavy defeat to Leigh Leopards, Wakefield's sole focus is escaping relegation.

Applegarth has identified the areas Trinity need to improve to lift themselves off the bottom of the table.

"It's the most dangerous we've looked in attack because it's the most points we've scored all year," he said looking back on the first meeting with the Dragons.

"On a serious note, it's always difficult in round one because people are finding their feet on the back of a pre-season.

"We knew exactly what Catalans would be this year. They're a top-four team with quality throughout. We're expecting a tough battle all over the park.

"We're focusing on making sure our own standards are where we need them. We need to be a little bit more physical in defence and playing that Wakefield brand of rugby, a fluent brand of rugby so we can start posting some points on the board and put teams under a bit of stress.

"It's hard when other teams are scoring and we're struggling to."

Applegarth knows it will not be easy against a Catalans outfit that occupy a top-four spot after 12 games.

"They're an excellent team," he added.

"What Steve (McNamara) has done with them over the last few years has been excellent.

"We're under no illusions what sort of challenge we're going to face."