York Knights must not play the occasion at struggling Whitehaven

Whilst the Cumbrian club’s financial difficulties have been well documented throughout the season, things have come to a head over recent weeks.

Coach Jonty Gorley announced his position at the club was “no longer tenable” in a post-match radio interview following their victory against Doncaster a fortnight ago, and just 14 players took to the field against Dewsbury Rams last week due to concerns over financial uncertainty.

York have won just one of their last five trips to the Ortus Rec - a 40-16 success in June 2022 - but despite Whitehaven’s troubles, Applegarth is taking nothing for granted.

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The head coach warned: “We’re expecting a very tough, physical game. You never get an easy game against any Cumbrian team, but especially with the circumstances.

“Our challenge is not playing that occasion and just getting on with the business at hand and getting the result that we’re craving.

“There’s going to be a lot of emotion and passion for Whitehaven coming in, they beat Doncaster in an excellent performance and then put in another performance against Dewsbury.

“We’re under no illusions, we know exactly what Whitehaven are capable of and we’ll be looking at where we feel we can exploit them and making sure that we’re building on where we want to be too.

“We’re expecting nothing but one of the hardest games of the year, which we do every single week. The beauty of the Championship this year is that everyone can beat everyone.

“We’ll be looking at a few areas that we feel that we can get some joy, and likewise they’ll be doing that to us. We’ve just got to make sure that we focus on ourselves and how we want to be as well.”

Whitehaven ran out comfortable winners in North Yorkshire earlier this season, prompting then-boss Andrew Henderson to issue an apology to supporters. (Image: Craig Hawkhead Photography)

Whitehaven reportedly owe the taxman £8,000 and a further £14,000 in player wages, with a number of board members also having stepped down over the summer.

Applegarth echoed the sentiment of many throughout rugby league in hoping that the club can rebuild, stating “Cumbria is a heartland of rugby in this country,” and called for more stability within the sport to prevent more clubs falling into a similar position.

He said: “Whitehaven and all the Cumbrian teams have a rich history and heritage in rugby league, and as a fan of rugby league and not just a coach, I want to see Whitehaven thriving.

“I’m sure that there’s a lot of internal politics and a lot of stuff that’s not come to light yet that we’re not aware of, but rom a rugby league fans’ perspective, I hope that it gets sorted and they can start flourishing again because I think that Cumbria is a heartland of rugby in this country and I think that there are some excellent players. 

“Hopefully they get it all sorted out and we’ll see them flourish over the next few years. 

“I think it’s just an issue in the game, the quicker that all of this IMG stuff gets sorted and people know what leagues they are in, then teams can actually start building. 

“I think that the whole structure needs a bit more stability about it. I’ve come from the Super League and seeing how that is, even from there they are getting frustrated about the lack of forward-thinking.

"The quicker that we set a vision and people can say that we are either in this league or that league, the chance to grow in that league. 

“I know that promotion and relegation is great as a fan, but if you haven’t got a youth development system and you are trying to create a team, then it’s very hard to blood young players. 

“You don’t know the ins and outs of each club, but I just think that the whole structure of rugby league in general is in a pretty pivotal point, where it needs changing.”