[v Doncaster (H)]

We did not look motivated from the start, they kicked off penned us in our half and kept us there. We had no leadership that I could see. The wingers/fullback must be pig sick of having to take the ball up the middle only to get smashed by forwards and occasionally see it on the wing when it has been passed laterally leaving them with no room. Desperately need a leader in the pack and a couple of half-backs who can run a game. What is being said/done at half time to lead to such a downturn in performance in the second half? From previous performances I feared the worst and those fears were realised. It is going to be a long season unless things can be changed around quickly. Do we need a fresh set of eyes in to look at things and assist Cresta? Compare how we were when Carl Foster was leading the pack and had an assistant coaching role - he is sorely missed.

[York(H)]

I cannot make this game . Having just been out for a stroll in the elements I would suggest the wind will play a part.

PLEASE as we have some excellent kickers could Barrow not wait for the 4th or 5th tackle before putting boot to ball with the wind at their backs, we always seem to leave it until the wingers are back. If the wind is as it is now a kick from the 20 at Walney Road should reach the 20 at Duke St.

Oh and by the DISCIPLINE

[Widnes game]

Haven't seen any footage of the game but once again (as seems to be the case every season) lack of discipline appears to be a factor.

[3rd round Oldham at home.]

It is in full operation  24 hours seven days a week all year round.

[v North Wales Crusaders]

Would think some will turn up today not realising it was a Saturday game. As regards the game itself I thought we lacked leadership.

I am not sure who the captain was but nobody seemed to be getting everyone together during breaks in play after tries etc. 

[v Rochdale]

Was the big lump for Hornets with O'Hanlon on his shirt in fact Brad Brennean?

[24 Squad]

I can remember the applause on several occasions when Sammut surprised everyone with a short kick and we re-gained control of the ball, it doesn't always come off but that's the risk you take.

[24 Squad]

The highlights reel for Ramon Silva shows he has the ability to off-load. PLEASE let us encourage it and not look at safer options.

[Guiness Book of Records]

Reading the obituary of David Watkins this morning - in 1972 he came off the bench for Salford against Barrow and scored the fastest hat-trick of tries ever recorded and the fact is apparently in the Guiness Book of Records - oh well at least Barrow gets a mention.

I recall having a coffee with Denis Jackson on a Saturday morning and informing him that David had been in Barrow on the previous evening for a sportsman dinner. Denis was upset he didn't know about. He explained that he wanted to see Watkins and tell him just how great a player he was as when he played against him he tried to intimidate him. He could remember walking out onto the pitch at Craven Park glowering at Watkins and kissing his biceps and mouthing something "appropriate" His words were something like, " I couldn't compete with him so I had to try and put him off his game, but it didn't work, he was a magnificent player." He was genuinely upset he hadn't had the chance to put the record straight.

[End of season.]

Ryan Johnson has got better as the year got on. His drop goal at Whitehaven off-set the cheap penalty he gave away in the last few minutes against Haven at Barrow costing us points. He seemed to mature when Sammut wasn't available. Gillam had a stand out season as did Emslie. Danny Langtree put in a superb shift week in - week out..

The team seemed to suffer whenever Josh Woods was substituted. He is certainly one of the players of the season. Ryan Shaw's kicking has him up there as well.

[What do we pay players ?]

I agree, it is between the player and the club. However, hopefully the accounts will indicate how much in total was spent on players wages with coaching and others shown separately. The fans are constantly asked to support various initiatives to fund players so it is only right to give some feedback via the accounts of what money is going where.

 

[Swinton H]

Sammut gets a lot of stick on this forum - yesterday I thought he was an excellent team player. His defence was good and at every break in play he was talking to the other players and urging them on. It could well be that his presence concemtrates the minds of the opposition and gives Johnson abit more time.

[They are at it again]

I see in one of the forums above former rugby league/player pundit is calling for the Cumbrian clubs to merge. Will someone please explain to these "experts" how far apart the clubs are - connected by indifferent roads with no dual carriageway on most of the road let alone motorway on the west coast which is where rugby league is played. Perhaps they could send some over on a bad weather day and get them to travel up to Haven and Town and let us know if they would do that journey regularly. In any case Barrow Raiders are now in Westmorland and Furness.

[v Halifax]

Has anyone seen/heard what led to the outburst from Sammut? It seems out of character to me.

[Widnes H]

Thought the first half defensive effort won it for us. Langtree was my M.O.M.

Has the penny dropped - the discipline has improved immensely with the penalty count making much better reading.

[v Keighley.]

I agree that we seem to fade when the interchanges are made - especially when Woods goes off. Our game management is poor at times. For the life of me I cannot think why Jarrod Sammut went for the drop goal. If he had got it we would have been more than a penalty in front but on the other hand if it had been successful they would have been kicking off into our half with all the dangers that brings. We'd have a been far better kicking into the corner and making them go the length of the field. 

Possibly a lot of it is to do with confidence and scraping a win might give them a boost.

[v London]

Ritson would struggle to get a pass the way the present team are playing and Miloudi was missing for much of the year.

Forster is, in my view, the biggest loss as he seemed to set the standards and tone.  

We have gone back to giving away amateur penalties (e.g. as cost us the points against Whitehaven). Last season we had a professional attitude, that is lacking this year with too many penalties, daft mistakes and missed tackles.

Yes there is time for the season to be pulled round but just carrying on the same way is not going to achieve it.

 

[Cumbria Franchise]

See the A590 has been closed again today at Newby Bridge! Not a rare occurrence.  The problem is not the distance between the 3 clubs in what was Cumbria but the road links between them. Amalgamations might work round West Yorks or Manchester where there are a multitude of motorways and (usually) good rail links. From Barrow it is probably less troublesome getting to Wigan or Keighley than Workington. 

A "Cumbria" based club would quite simply not work due to the travel time involved.

[Ellis Archer]

I believe Ellis was offered another  contract by St Helens - they wanted to keep him. However the fact that Rio was not offered a contract meant he would have had to travel to Saints four evenings each week for training with no company on the journey. From what I have seen of him he is a heads up player with speed and an eye for creating an overlap. The question I raise is this "Given that we do not seem to offer much as an attacking threat this season if Ellis had still been on Saints books, and he had been offered to us on dual registration, would we have snapped him up and played him?"  He is certainly one for the future but I worry that if he does not get an opportunity with Barrow he will move on to pastures new next season. In my view he merits an opportunity to show his potential.

[v Halifax (cup).]

I think you'll find we are now in Westmorland and Furness - put will always be Lancashire.

[v Halifax.]

I wonder if it is a co-incidence that this was the most disciplined performance that the team has put in for some time? Tremendous effort from the forwards who looked more like the pack we had last season.

[v Sheffield]

Barrow cannot expect to win when they start so poorly. They were off the pace from k.o. and couldn't get going properly thereafter. They looked disjointed and without a plan A never mind B or C. 

The only time we really troubled Sheffield is when Sammut had a few minutes of off the cuff play in the second half.

I agree that it is early in the season and we shouldn't write the team off yet but if they don't have a massive change of mindset from the kick off, and game plans they can work to, going to then it is going to be a long season.

They looked "out enthused" which is something the fans will not put up with.

I don't know who is supposed to be leading the team on the field (I know Stack is captain) but they desperately need someone to take charge. Sammut  seemed very subdued until he decided to try his hand, I don't know whether he is following team orders.

The difference in line speed in defence and the number backing up at speed in attack were the stand out differences.

The only way is up so onwards to the next match.

 

 

[v Wigan.]

Wigan have worked quickly to get a report of the match , with pics,  on their Wigan Warriors website.

[Season Ticket 2023]

Collected mine from the shop some weeks ago

 

[v Crusaders.]

I thought it was a decent performance against a team which showed it had something to offer. I don't want to sound like a scratched record but once again the points Barrow conceded were on the back of penalties (and one knock on) giving away field position.