Leigh Leopards v York Knights: Mark Applegarth aims to dent rivals play-off hopes
YORK KNIGHTS head coach Mark Applegarth would not be surprised if Leigh Leopards reach this season’s Grand Final.
But he takes his Knights team to Leigh Sports Village tonight hoping to put a dent in their play-off aspirations.
York are fresh from Saturday’s 34-32 Super League over St Helens - the team directly behind sixth-placed Leigh - and looking to make it back-to-back wins, and improve on their own 10th-placed spot in the table.
"I am really looking forward to getting stuck into Leigh, who I think are a fantastic team," Applegarth said. "I think they will be right up there come the end of the season.
“We know we are going to have to be at our best to get anything out of the game. It will be a good test for us.”
In their first season in Super League, York - not surprisingly as they look to bridge the gap from the Championship - have struggled for consistency.
Last month, they played struggling Huddersfield Giants twice - lost one, won one - beat Hull FC, but slipped to defeat at Toulouse.
“We are where we are because we deserve to be there,” admitted Applegarth. “The table tends not to lie over the course of a year and our position, currently, reflects a little bit of inconsistency in our game.
“That's what we are chasing and if I knew the answer to that, I would bottle it. I would be a multi-millionaire.
“I have got a good bunch of guys who turn up for work every day wanting to get better.”
Victory against the Saints, at LNER Community Stadium, certainly stands out as one of York’s best results of the campaign.
Centre Scott Galeano said: “We were probably just happy with the two points.
"We probably expected a bit more from ourselves in the previous two games, against Toulouse and Huddersfield.
“This is my first year in Super League, feeling confident obviously. From the first game (against Hull KR) we have been backing ourselves.
“There's an obvious step-up, but we had a good pre-season and taking every game as it comes. I am really enjoying it.”
York have made three changes to their 21-player squad which beat Saints.
David Nofaluma returns after completing HIA protocols, along with Jesse Dee and Will Jagger.
Matty English, Liam Harris and Andy Djeukessi all drop out.