BARROW RAIDERS skipper Jarrad Stack says there are plenty of positives to take as the Cumbrian club head into the second half of their first second-tier season since 2019 pushing for the play-offs rather than worrying about relegation.
While beaten 30-28 at home to Leigh on Thursday, Barrow hosted Widnes with 15 league points to their name, having also reached the sixth round of the Challenge Cup and competed in the 1895 Cup semi-finals.
Three years ago, the Australian backrow and his then-teammates were fighting an ultimately unsuccessful battle to stay in the Championship (they went down alongside Rochdale).
Having been thwarted in their bid to make an immediate return as Covid curtailed the 2020 campaign, Paul Crarey’s side won automatic promotion as last year’s League One champions, leaving their county rivals and Stack’s former club Workington to come up through the play-offs.
As Barrow prepare for Sunday’s derby against Workington at Derwent Park, Stack, who switched clubs ahead of the 2017 season, said: “Plenty of people wrote us off before this season started.
“It’s always good proving the critics wrong, especially when they come out publicly and say it.
“There’s no better feeling than looking at the table and seeing what the team has achieved.
“We haven’t got the money that some other top-end Championship teams have, but what we do have is a team that wants to graft for each other.
“And we have a great coach who gives us the freedom to play. You’ve got to give Cresta (Crarey) a lot of praise for the work that he’s done and the players that he’s brought in.
“I can’t praise the squad enough. They’ve given everything they’ve got and battled hard.
“We were notoriously poor travellers, but we’ve got some good points on the road, and we’ve backed that up with some solid victories at home.”
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HALIFAX PANTHERS coach Simon Grix has challenged his play-off chasers to return to The Shay next month in the same kind of form as they left it.
Pitch maintenance work at the ground which the club share with Halifax Town means Grix’s side don’t play there again until they face York in front of the Premier Sports television cameras on Monday, July 11.
There were concerns over the condition of the pitch earlier this year, and the current work will include removal of the existing surface, the application of sand to support well-structured soil, and re-seeding.
Having signed off from The Shay with a 66-0 drubbing of neighbours Dewsbury – their eighth straight win – then travelled to Leigh, Halifax head to Whitehaven on Sunday, and after the international break, visit Barrow on Monday, June 27 (another Premier-screened game) and Dewsbury on Sunday, July 3.
“We sent the fans away smiling, now we want to invite them back still smiling,” said Grix.
“Our general form has been pretty decent, and we’ve been scoring points, but we need to keep moving on and backing up our wins.
“There are areas we need to touch up, and we have to focus on putting in more ruthless 80-minute performances.”
Grix handed first games of the season to secondrow Matty Gee, his close-season signing from Leigh who has recovered from a shoulder injury, and Joe Martin, the fullback who is in his second spell at the club.
“I’ve been waiting for this for nearly ten months,” said former Salford, London Broncos man Hull KR man Gee.
“To finally get the nod and have the confidence to play and be with the boys was massive for me.”
Centre Greg Worthington and winger Zack McComb returned from injuries while skipper and hooker Brandon Moore made his 150th career appearance (146 for Halifax, who signed him from Castleford in 2016, and four on loan to Huddersfield in 2020).
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LONDON BRONCOS recruit Brock Pelligra is looking forward to continuing a Rugby League journey which he hopes will take him from the Ron Massey Cup to the World Cup via the French Elite One competition and the Championship.
Having represented Glebe-Burwood Wolves in the New South Wales development competition, the 23-year-old halfback has played twice for Italy in wins over Niue in 2018 and Philippines the following year, both in Australia, and will be hoping to catch the eye ahead of this Autumn’s big tournament in England.
Pelligra is fresh from helping Carcassonne win their first French title in ten years with a 20-16 win over Limoux in an exciting championship final in front of more than 8,200 fans.
Now he is aiming to help the Broncos, who are currently under the charge of interim coach Mike Eccles following Jermaine Coleman’s departure, climb away from the Championship danger zone.
“I’m really satisfied with my performances in France and was hungry for a new challenge,” he explained. “I had some conversations and quickly reached an agreement with the Broncos. I’m thrilled to be here.
“I feel my work with Carcassonne has really prepared me for Championship-level Rugby League. It’s a tough division and the Broncos have experienced some tough results this season.
“But my initial impression of the club, my teammates and those behind the scenes is very good.
Everyone is determined to pull in the right direction and ensure the second half of the season is one we can reflect on positively.
“Playing in France was excellent for my development. I had the language barrier to deal with, which was challenging at times, so to hear English conversation was nice.”
Scans have shown skipper Will Lovell, who suffered a neck injury during Thursday’s 32-18 defeat at Workington, has not suffered a fracture.
Having visited York, the Broncos have a key clash away to fellow strugglers Dewsbury on Sunday.
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NEWCASTLE THUNDER have bolstered their squad by signing two Super League players for the remainder of the season.
The progressive North-East club already have a dual-registration agreement with Wigan.
Now they have brought in Warrington duo Ellis Robson on a permanent deal and Riley Dean on loan.
Forward Robson, 23, skippered the Wolves’ Under 19 side before breaking into the first-team squad.
He has had previous temporary spells at Widnes, Dewsbury, Rochdale, Bradford, Salford and Toulouse.
Halfback Dean, 20, provides back-up to international duo Gareth Widdop and George Williams, so Warrington have a recall option built into the deal.
While versatile pack man Robson has found first-team action hard to come by this year, Dean, who had a loan spell at York last season, has made three Wolves appearances this time around and has designs on a place in the Ireland World Cup squad.
Newcastle director of rugby Denis Betts said: “We’re pleased to welcome Ellis and Riley into the squad and we’re looking forward to working with them both.
“Ellis is a highly-rated player who is going to give us some additional quality in our pack.
“He can play prop, secondrow or loose-forward so is a versatile operator and is going to afford us options.
“Riley is a very promising halfback who is rated very highly and will continue his development with us.
“We’re looking forward to working with him and seeing what he brings to the group.”
Warrington coach Daryl Powell said: “For Riley, it’s a different level. Our Reserves don’t play every week, so it’s consistent games.
“We can call him back. He’s stepped into our team and done some quality things.”
“Going and leading Newcastle’s attack will be great for him I think.”
Both Robson and Dean played as Newcastle lost 46-10 at home to Featherstone on Thursday.
Having hosted Sheffield, O’Carroll’s team head to Batley on Sunday.
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SHEFFIELD EAGLES forwards Joel Farrell and Mikey Wood will be missing when Friday-night fever returns to the city this month.
Secondrow and vice-captan Farrell and utility Wood, signed from Hunslet over the close-season, are in the middle of four-match bans imposed for punching during the 34-24 home win over Widnes.
That clash was the first at the Eagles’ new Olympic Legacy Park, where York won 34-14 in the second game there on Thursday (Sheffield played away at Newcastle three days later).
After hosting Bradford on Sunday, Leigh are the visitors in the first of five Friday fixtures at the South Yorkshire ground on June 24.
It’s been Sheffield’s favoured slot for home matches for a while, and the club hope the follow-up games against Batley (July 8), Halifax (August 12), Featherstone (September 2) and Dewsbury (September 9) prove popular with their fans.
While the OLP, built on the site of the old Don Valley Stadium, is currently operating to a restricted 800 capacity because the venue has yet to be fully signed off, the club hope they will soon be able to accommodate more spectators.
“The capacity will increase and hopefully more fans will come,” said coach Mark Aston.
“We have been scratching around at a variety of grounds (since leaving the old Don Valley Stadium at the end of the 2013 season), and thats been hard for our supporters, who have been brilliant.
“Now we can get established, and create an atmosphere, and we’ll try to contribute to that by playing an entertaining brand of rugby. We want fans to go away thinking ‘wow, this is Rugby League and it’s great to watch’.”
Sheffield commercial director Mark Hannigan added: “It means so much to be back in the city in our own stadium.
“We’ve been crying out for it since the Don Valley Stadium was demolished, and we have a fantastic facility with more development to come.”
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WHITEHAVEN coach Jonty Gorley says Dion Aiye is at the heart of his plans to take the club forward.
The popular former Papua New Guinea international is already in his eighth season at the Cumbrian club – and has signed up for a further three.
The highly-versatile 34-year-old, who made ten appearances for the Kumuls between 2009 and 2014, including three at the 2013 World Cup, was signed from Queensland Cup side Papua New Guinea Hunters.
He made his Whitehaven debut as a secondrow in the 44-16 Championship defeat at home to Halifax in February 2015 and helped them win promotion from League One in 2019.
Aiye represented the club for the 156th time in Thursday’s 46-6 home defeat against Batley.
His contract extension came as Whitehaven also retained highly-rated 21-year-old forward Jake Bradley for next season.
“Dion’s a great bloke on and off the pitch, and is popular within the club and around the town,” said Gorley.
“He’s a really solid player who can cover a number of positions, halfback, hooker or backrow, which makes him really useful.
“To get Dion signed up for the next three seasons is a massive boost for us. We need players of his calibre if we are to try to keep on improving.
“Everyone sees every week what he brings to the team, we are better when he is on the pitch.
“His carries are strong and defensively there’s no one better on his day. He is a bit of an X-factor for us and other teams are wary of him.
“As a coach, he is great to have. There are no negatives with him, and even though he’s 34, he is still one of the fittest and best trainers we have.
“He just goes out and does a job every time he trains and plays.”
Having visited Dewsbury, Whitehaven are now preparing for Sunday’s home clash with Halifax.
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WIDNES VIKINGS secondrow Olly Davies believes there’s a lot more to come from both himself and the team.
It’s been a rollercoaster start for the 26-year-old close-season signing from Sheffield.
Widnes won their first four matches, but a run of six straight defeats, starting with the 38-4 Challenge Cup fourth-round loss at Leigh, preceded coach Simon Finnigan’s departure.
The Vikings went into their game at Barrow, the fifth under the interim leadership of performance manager Ryan O’Brien, on the back of a win over Whitehaven (at home), but defeats by Featherstone (away), Sheffield (away) and Bradford (home).
They are at home to York on Sunday, and Davies urged supporters: “Please stick by us. I know it’s been tough, but the good times will come back.”
Davies was signed by Widnes after four years at Sheffield during which they beat the Vikings to win the 1895 Cup and which he says rejuvenated his career as he struggled to come to terms with the disappointment of being released by hometown club St Helens as a 20-year-old, after which he spent a season at Swinton.
“I didn’t leave Saints in the best of scenarios. I left with no answers to the questions I had, and I’ve still got questions now,” he told We are Widnes magazine.
“I really struggled (at Swinton). I’d train by myself away from rugby, and then getting used to training at night and cramming everything into a session between eight and nine o’clock, when you’re used to getting it done in the daytime, it was tough.
“When I joined Sheffield, they offered me a job to work in the schools. It meant moving over there, so I grew up a lot. That helped me on the pitch mentality wise.
“I know my strengths and weaknesses. I should be coming to the prime of my career now, and I want to enjoy it.”
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BATLEY BULLDOGS commercial manager and former player Danny Maun sang the praises of coach Craig Lingard in the wake of the play-off chasers’ sixth win in seven games, 46-6 at Whitehaven on Thursday.
The Yorkshire side ran in eight tries in Cumbria on Thursday, two by winger Dale Morton, to provide a boost ahead of their home clash with Workington three days later.
Former Batley fullback Lingard, who took over in September 2019 and was last year’s Championship Coach of the Year after leading his side to the play-off semi-finals, is now preparing for Sunday’s visit of Newcastle.
Maun, who had two spells as a player at the club, tweeted: “What is the definition of a good coach? A coach with a £1.5million kitty or Craig Lingard and Batley doing what we do?”.
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BRADFORD BULLS interim coach Mark Dunning is hoping for big things from Bailey Arnold.
The club have agreed a professional contract with the Academy prop and hope he will follow Thomas Doyle and Ebon Scurr by stepping up to make his mark at first-team level.
Arnold, from the Birkenshaw Blue Dogs community club, is in this year’s Yorkshire Academy Origin squad.
Dunning said: “Bailey is an outstanding talent – I’m really happy the club have signed him up for the next few years.
“It shows the club’s commitment to keeping young talent, and our plan is to integrate them into our first team as soon as they are ready.
“The Academy has been and continues to be vastly important to the club, and to have talents like Bailey signed up is a real bonus.”
Academy coach Leigh Beattie added; “His application on and off the field is second to none.”
Having won 31-6 at Widnes on Thursday, Bradford visit Featherstone for a Premier Sports-screened clash tonight (Monday, June 6) then head to Sheffield on Sunday.
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DEWSBURY RAMS chairman Mark Sawyer has thanked veteran halfback Paul Sykes for stepping into the breach following the departure of coach Lee Greenwood in the wake of the 66-0 derby defeat at Halifax.
While remaining a squad member, the 40-year-old former England and Great Britain halfback, who joined his hometown club as a player from Featherstone in 2016 having had previous spells at Bradford. London Broncos and Wakefield, joined Greenwood’s coaching team during the close-season.
Having taken charge for the home clash with Whitehaven, when Dewsbury were seeking only a third win of the season, Sykes is now preparing for Sunday’s crunch clash with fellow strugglers London Broncos at the Tetley’s Stadium.
“I would like to thank Paul for agreeing to step up into the head coach role at such short notice,” said Sawyer.
“I realise this opportunity has come a little earlier than expected for Paul in his transition from total playing to player/coach, but as our supporters know, he is a great ambassador for our club and will give total commitment to the role for as long as is needed.”
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FEATHERSTONE ROVERS have taken young Wakefield prop Sam Eseh on loan for the rest of the season, with his parent club having a recall option.
Rovers coach Brian McDermott moved quickly after James Lockwood and Craig Kopczak were injured during the 1895 Cup final defeat by Leigh.
Long-serving former Dewsbury man Lockwood has a broken hand and is set to miss at least a month.
Eseh, a product of the East Leeds community club who earned his first professional contract at Wakefield last year, had a spell on loan at Barrow earlier this season and impressed McDermott when facing Featherstone in the semi-finals of the 1895 Cup.
“He’s a big, powerful forward who caused us some problems when we played against him,” he explained.
“It’s an area of the squad we’ve been keen to add to for some time and Sam is an intelligent solution.”
Eseh made his Rovers bow as they won 46-10 at Newcastle on Thursday.
Featherstone host Bradford in front of the Premier Sports television cameras tonight (Monday, June 6), then visit Leigh in another Premier clash next Monday (June 13).
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LEIGH CENTURIONS coach Adrian Lam says he’s eager to put on another show for supporters when Featherstone visit for a rematch following the recent 1895 Cup final next Monday (June 13).
But he says his players will have to be right on form if they are to pick up two league points against one of their main rivals for promotion in front of the Premier Sports television cameras .
It’s the third round of Championship fixtures in less than two weeks, and for Leigh and Featherstone, comes after their big clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Leigh lifted the 1895 Cup with a 30-16 victory.
“It was a brilliant moment to walk down to our end of the field and see our fans celebrating and hear them singing,” said Lam, whose side won 30-28 at Barrow on Thursday before hosting Halifax in round 14.
“It was a monumental day for us and one we’ll always hold close to our hearts, but now we have to focus on the league and a tough period of matches.”
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WORKINGTON TOWN coach Chris Thorman called on his players to use their first win of the season as a platform from which to climb the table.
Having beaten fellow strugglers London Broncos 32-18 at Derwent Park, and after a follow-up fixture at Batley, last year’s League One play-off winners have a home Cumbrian derby against Barrow on Sunday.
Thorman, whose younger brother Neil came off the Broncos bench during the match, said: “As I’ve mentioned before, we were last to the party in terms of knowing what division we were going to be in, so recruitment and retention decisions had to be delayed.
“Now we have a slightly stronger squad than at the start of the season and more competition for places.
“Within that, we train better, and when you are doing that, you generally play better.
“We are doing a lot of things right during the week, our preparation is good, and the buy-in from the players is good.”
The loan swap which brought prop Glenn Riley from Whitehaven to Workington and took versatile Perry Singleton the other way has been made permanent.
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YORK CITY KNIGHTS have designated Friday, July 1 to Sunday 3, when they host Barrow, as the club’s ‘heritage weekend’.
And they are urging fans to turn out wearing their favourite club shirt, whether old or new.
“Rugby league in our city can trace its roots back over 150 years with York Football Club forming in 1868, playing both association and rugby football,” said a club statement.
“The club have been through several phases since then and, as such, is proud to have a rich and varied history with many players wearing the badge with pride.
“In previous years, ‘Retro Round’ has proven popular and we are inviting Knights fans to pull on their favourite York Rugby League jerseys from over the years with prizes available for a number picked out as the very best!
“Further events will be announced as part of heritage weekend and we are looking forward to doing more over the coming years to celebrate those who helped get the club, and sport in York, to where it is today.”
Having won 34-14 at Sheffield on Thursday, then played London Broncos at home, James Ford’s play-off chasers head to Widnes on Sunday.
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