PAUL CRAREY has now completed ten years in his second stint as Barrow head coach.
But there was little time to celebrate the landmark last September amid the Raiders’ ultimately successful scramble to stay in the second tier.
In each of the past two seasons they have survived by a single point, and the reduction of the Championship by a further team at the end of this year will make avoiding the drop an even greater challenge this time.
Not that another relegation battle is a foregone conclusion by any means. They have kept the core of their side together and the group know how to eke out big results.
Alex Bishop (grandson of former Barrow player Tommy Bishop) and Ellis Robson could be important additions from Keighley while the Raiders have also nabbed Ryan King and Curtis Teare from relegated Whitehaven.
Watch out for… The return of Jamie Pye, this time for a full season. The six-foot-four prop impressed over six appearances last year with Paul Crarey describing his power as a “revelation”. He should only be better for that experience, plus his Super League debut for Salford against Wigan in the final round of the season. A new dual-registration deal with the Red Devils means other prospects may follow north.
Squad: 1 Luke Cresswell, 2 Andrew Bulman, 3 Matt Costello, 4 Luke Broadbent, 5 Shane Toal, 6 Brad Walker, 7 Ryan Johnston, 8 Tom Walker, 9 Josh Wood, 10 Ramon Silva, 11 Ellis Robson, 12 James Greenwood, 13 Ryan King, 14 Aaron Smith, 15 Tom Wilkinson, 16 Charlie Emslie, 17 Ryan Shaw, 18 Curtis Teare, 19 Delaine Gittens-Bedward, 20 Brett Carter, 21 Finn McMillan, 22 Alex Bishop, 24 Jarrad Stack, – Jamie Pye.
Rugby League World predicts: 11th
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 505 (February 2025)
