New Wakefield Trinity boss Mark Applegarth strikes right tone after being thrust into spotlight

The 37-year-old's appointment as Willie Poching's successor in the Wakefield Trinity hot seat has been labelled as the cheap option by some supporters, while Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin crudely called the former youth coach an "unknown".

In a results industry, Applegarth finds himself chasing parity months out from his first game at the helm.

The former forward will not be afforded the same grace as his peers but there was no hint of an inferiority complex as he faced the media for the first time.

A local lad, Applegarth cut a relaxed and self-assured figure after working his way through the ranks at Belle Vue.

What he lacks in first-team experience, he makes up for in his knowledge of the club and a drive to succeed.

"It's an honour and a privilege to be in charge of my hometown club," said Applegarth.

"But I don't just want to be a head coach; I want to do well for Wakefield Trinity.

"It always does mean that little bit more if you are from the town you're representing. I'm a proud Wakefield lad and I want to see Wakefield do well.

"We've had a period of our history where we've been facing relegation. It'd be good to put us back on the map for the right reasons.

"Everybody keeps going on about Wakefield in the '60s but we're talking quite a number of years ago now. It's time to move on from that and create our own history."

Applegarth becomes the youngest head coach in Super League, taking the mantle from Wigan Warriors’ Matt Peet, 38.

Peet has blazed a trail for young coaches across the country after leading Wigan to Challenge Cup glory and within 80 minutes of the Grand Final.

Fresh from following a similar path, Applegarth feels ready to seize the opportunity.

"We've all got to start somewhere, haven't we?" he said.

"I'd just say give me time and hopefully our performances next year will do the talking.

"It's a bit of a cliche but if you don't back yourself, who is going to back you?

"You'd be a fool to say no to an opportunity like this. It was pretty much an instant decision. It's a natural progression and these jobs don't come around often.

"There are nerves but in an excited way. I'm looking forward to all this dying down and being able to get back on the field coaching the lads."

Applegarth's main objective is to ensure Trinity are not involved in another fight for survival after sailing close to the wind again in 2022.

He will not ask his players to do anything he would not do himself.

"It's just a reflection of who I am as a person: I like a good, honest, hardworking team," said Applegarth on his style.

"I like to throw the ball around and play a lot of rugby but I expect a nice, tough, resilient defence.

"That's pretty much my coaching in a nutshell. We will be going out and playing rugby but I also expect us to be one of the hardest-working teams in the league with and without the ball."

To succeed in his first job as a head coach, Applegarth will need the backing of the board.

Wakefield must find a way of suitably replacing key figures such as Jacob Miller, David Fifita and Tinirau Arona with the handicap of arriving late to the recruitment party.

Chairman John Minards has assured supporters that Trinity will be competitive in 2023.

"There are ongoing conversations with a number of outside recruits," he said.

"There's a World Cup this year and we don't need to tie everything up this side of the World Cup.

"We do have quota spots available as a result of the people that have moved on.

"We're very confident we're going to assemble a very talented squad - a mix of a number of players we bring in with some really talented youngsters that are coming through here who worked under Mark."