BARROW RAIDERS have signed former Whitehaven winger Andrew Bulman and teenage St Helens halfback Ellis Archer, who was born and bred in the Cumbrian town.
Meanwhile centre or second rower Dan Toal has been granted a testimonial – helping to ease his frustration at the prospect of missing the bulk of the forthcoming season as he recovers from extensive knee surgery.
Bulman, 23, scored 45 tries in 67 appearances for Whitehaven and will help fill the void left by prolific winger Tee Ritson’s switch to St Helens, where Archer, 18, spent four years, making one Super League appearance.
“Given the opportunity, I can score tries. I’ll only score more with the way Barrow play,” said Bulman, who had a short stint at Hull in 2018 but failed to settle.
Doctors have estimated a comeback period of up to nine months for the 33-year-old Toal, who has had both an anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament reconstructed, as well as repair work to other parts of the joint.
Toal, who signed a two-year contract extension ahead of last season, when he made 16 appearances, scoring four tries, was signed from nearby community side Ulverston in 2012, and has played 201 games for his hometown club, crossing 64 times in total.
His 27-year-old brother, former Scotland international Shane Toal, plays on the wing for Barrow, having moved from Ulverston in 2015.
Dan Toal’s testimonial year follows that of teammate and hooker Nathan Mossop, who had a match against North Wales Crusaders on Sunday and he said: “When I first signed, I never imagined I would get this recognition.
“I’m obviously gutted to be injured. I’m eleven weeks post-operation now. Progress has been slow, but I’m working hard to get back and hopefully I’ll have a big impact at the back end of the season.”
Barrow have a pre-season game at home to Workington on Sunday (3pm).
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