Lee Radford has strengthened his Castleford Tigers coaching team ahead of his first season in charge with two fresh appointments.
Adam Whitney has been confirmed as the club’s new head of strength and conditioning, having previously held that role under Radford at Hull FC, while Danny Blundell joins from Wigan Warriors as their head of analysis.
Whitney has also been a conditioning coach with the England Knights and spent time working at the University of Las Vegas and Loughborough University.
Head coach Radford expects both to prove valuable additions as he prepares for his first pre-season since taking charge at the Jungle from Daryl Powell.
“Adam Whitney is very good at what he does, and I have obviously got a relationship with Adam from my time at Hull FC,” said Radford.
“He’s a good, honest, hardworking bloke who goes above and beyond for the players and I think they will recognise that when they come through the door.”
“In Danny Blundell, I was really impressed when I sat down with him and spoke to him with some of the stuff that he delivered. He is coming from an elite club that has done things right over the last decade.
“Being an analyst is a time-consuming job with irregular hours because as a coach you are expecting the data at half-past seven the day after the game so that means some night shifts, but the analysts are very important in what we do.”
Whitney said: “I’m extremely excited and glad to be on board with a club that has so much history and so many passionate fans.
“I have worked with Lee previously at Hull FC, about seven seasons, so I know him very well. He is a great person to work for, and brings out the best in others as he is very passionate in what he does.”
On leaving Wigan for Super League rivals Castleford, Blundell said: “I had a great relationship with Adrian Lam, worked with their assistant coaches Matt Peet, John Winder and Sean O’Loughlin, I learnt an awful lot off them.
“I think it was a fantastic opportunity for me to go my separate way, come closer to home and work with some great coaches and players here.”
