Whitehaven have continued their build-up to the 2022 Championship season by re-signing prop forward Guy Graham.
The 23-year-old Graham has signed a one-year deal to remain at the LEL Arena until the end of 2022.
Graham initially joined the club on trial in the early stages of the truncated 2020 season after leaving Newcastle Falcons.
He has impressed in his full debut season in rugby league and ended the season being selected in the Scotland squad that played an October international against Jamaica.
Head coach Jonty Gorley was impressed early on during Graham’s trial period and sees the prop as a big part of his plans for 2022.
He said: “When Guy came to us last year he had never played a game of rugby league, but even so in the first few games he played you could see he had something about him defensively. He has got a real good front on technique that can cut people in two.
“After he trained and played just a few games he started looking more comfortable with the ball and know his positional specific job.
“So when you look at what Guy has done last season when he was a regular starter, a confident uncompromising front-rower and eventually got in the Scotland squad – it wasn’t a bad outcome for only playing a handful of rugby league games.
“Once he gets a rugby league pre-season into him I think he will come on leaps and bounds. He will be a valued member of my squad and I;m more than happy he’s chosen to stay with us.”
Ashley Kilpatrick, part of the club’s football committee as well as director, said: “It’s brilliant to have Guy as part of the squad for another season. His improvement from that first game at Featherstone being thrown in at the deep end until the final game of the season was phenomenal.
“I think it was recognised when he was called up to the Scotland squad at the end of the season.
“Getting a full pre-season under his belt will do him the world of good and will only improve him and make him even better. Also, working alongside Jonty and his backroom staff will only be beneficial for him.”
Graham comes from a family with rugby pedigree across both codes. His father George is a Borders legend in rugby union, and who was also a former teammate of Haven director of rugby Gary Charlton at Carlisle Border Raiders.
His brother Gary has been capped at rugby union for Scotland and who plays for Newcastle Falcons.
