STRENGTH and conditioning coach Gary Dempsey is aiming to get the Bulls fitter than ever as they gear up for another promotion challenge.

The Northern Irishman came on board at Odsal 12 months ago and is tasked with getting Jimmy Lowes' squad in tip-top condition.

Dempsey made his name north of the border working for the Scottish Rugby Union, which included stints at Glasgow Warriors, Edinburgh RUFC and the under-17s and Scotland women's sides.

He then spent the past four years at the English Institute for Sport, rising to prominence with the England RL Academy team before earning promotion to the senior side.

The Bulls are back in the full swing of pre-season after kicking things off with fitness testing at the University of Salford and the John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds.

Dempsey said: “We had a strength and speed focus at Salford, using some of the world-class facilities they have there.

“Going to John Charles was more about top-end speed and an aerobic session to see where the boys are on that level.

“We did the same tests we did this time last year but we have gathered a little more data to make our training better for the season ahead.”

Dempsey said of his job: “It’s a role I relish and I really enjoyed it last year because Jimmy had the confidence in me to get the boys up to where they need to be.

“I thought they did well and were pretty fit.

“Obviously we had a few challenges last season but I’ve looked at that and how I can do things better for this year.

“I want to try and get the boys in even better shape than they were last year.

“Obviously we’ve had a few new players come in, so we need to assess them and what they need to fit in to what we do as a team.

“It’s about trying to keep injuries to a minimum, but if they do get injured then we can get them back to above and beyond where they were previously.”