Cook sets his sights at Knights
by Peter Martini
INCOMING head coach Mick Cook has stressed his priorities next season will lie solely with York City Knights - hopefully in National League One.
As revealed in yesterday's Evening Press, the 43-year-old is to take over at Huntington Stadium in the closed season from Hull FC-bound Richard Agar as part of a new partnership agreement with Leeds Rhinos.
He is currently assistant-boss and Academy head coach at the Super League giants and will continue to be on the back-room staff at Headingley next year, but he emphasised his focus after this season will be as Knights boss.
"I'll be 100 per cent York," said Cook, whose Leeds Under-21 team, including ex-Knights Jonny Wainhouse and try-scorer Tommy Gallagher plus York-born Peter Fox, lost 20-18 to Bradford in last night's Senior Academy Grand Final.
"I will be dealing with everything to do with the first team at York and that is the priority."
The Knights' previous two head coaches, Paul Broadbent and current boss Agar, have been on part-time contracts. Cook's detailed role is yet to be laid out but he will effectively be a full-time coach based at York with shifts at Leeds.
"My job will be totally dedicated to York as first priority and on the back of that the time left I will spend with Leeds," he said.
"My position will remain full-time. A lot of it will be taken up by York, the rest will be working in specific sessions with Leeds. We're still on a learning curve. We need to see how the partnership works but York first team is my priority."
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Eventual promotion to Super League could put Cook's position in jeopardy as this partnership between the two clubs would cease, but it remains the Knights' long-term goal.
"York want to get into Super League," confirmed Cook. "It's a massive step. It will be outstanding if that happens but it's a fair target at this stage. There are some strong teams throughout the National League and strong established teams in NL1 - but you never know."
