MARK APPLEGARTH has confirmed his first preliminary squad as York Knights Head Coach.

The newly-appointed York Head Coach prepares for his match at the helm, making the trip to Dewsbury Rams on Sunday, June 16 (3pm) in the Betfred Championship.

Applegarth replaced Andrew Henderson in a coaching capacity, with the latter moving into the role of Head of Rugby Operations and Development, which included the announcement of a new York RLFC academy to be built in 2026, as announced by Chairman Clint Goodchild.

One man set to debut for the Knights this weekend will be Sam Cook, who made the move into North Yorkshire after a spell in the NRL.

Cook arrives having predominantly played as a hooker, with a debut set to be made on Sunday.

Returning to the squad will be Will Dagger, after recovering from a HIA following a high challenge from Jordan Gibson, which saw the Swinton Lions man receive a straight red card.

Nikau Williams is also back in the squad after recovering from a minor injury, having missed a large chunk of the season with a suspension sustained in the opening day defeat to Doncaster.

AJ Towse remains absent after appearing to pull his hamstring in the 30-22 defeat to Swinton, with Charlie Severs and Jesse Dee also dropping out.

YORK KNIGHTS: 12. Bailey, 2. Brown, 40. Cook, 1. Dagger, 19. Daley, 11. Field, 10. Fitzsimmons, 7. Harris, 22. Hingano, 9. Jubb, 4. Keinhorst, 17. Michael, 20. Pemberton, 29. Potter, 30. Reynolds, 16. Santi, 8. Ta’ai, 15. Teanby, 13. Thompson, 28. Ward, 14. Williams