PAUL Crarey believes the capture of Oliver Wilkes could help Barrow Raiders secure a place in the League One top five next year.

Coach Crarey is delighted to have the Leigh Centurion skipper and Scotland World Cup player on board and has said more names are set to follow.

Crarey has known Wilkes since he was a youngster and had him under his wing earlier in his career when he was coach at Cumbria.

He knows what type of player he has got and said the one-year deal is a sign of Barrow’s intent for next season which he expects to be highly competitive with the likes of Toulouse joining the fray in League One, along with Hunslet and Doncaster.

But with players like the calibre of Wilkes arriving to strengthen the squad, Crarey is hoping to be well equipped for the battles ahead.

“It is a massive signing for the club. He probably could still play Super League or top end Championship if he wanted to,” said Crarey of Wilkes.

“He had another year on his contract to run but he wanted to come home and it speaks volumes for the club making the signing and pushing the boat out to get him. It shows our intent.

“He is a great kid and good leader and he has still got a lot of football in him.

“He has got genuine grit and determination, he is a natural winner. He has got a lot of experience, he can do it tough or he can play football. He has everything we need and probably more. He will great to have around the place.

“He is probably the difference between making the five.

“We were short on bodies last year and short on experience and we got beat in some games where, if we had got that little bit of experience and guile, we would have taken the spoils. So it is a massive signing for the club.

“He is a warrior and a winner, if there is anybody who you want to go to war with it would be Oliver Wilkes, you would want him by your side.

“His presence will inspire the team at training and on the field.

“It was great for us that he committed to Barrow and is a fantastic signing.”

The deal between the former Barrow Academy player and Raiders was made after Wilkes contacted Crarey telling him he wanted to return home.

“I then rang Paul Rowley (Leigh coach) and asked him if we could approach Oliver, that he wanted to come back home. Paul and Derek (Beaumont, Leigh owner) were magnificent in saying we could talk to him.”

He added: “I know there were other offers on the table and I asked Oliver what he wanted to come here and told him what we could actually afford. He rang me back and said ‘I want to come to Barrow’.

“We set up a meeting with the rugby directors (Andy Gaffney and Mike Sunderland) and they got him to sign. It has been done for quite a while now and it was difficult to keep under wraps.

“He has got through the season with Leigh unscathed and he is enthusiastic already about starting for Barrow, that’s all we have talked about on the phone.

“I have known Ollie since he was a kid and he hasn’t changed. He will be great for the kids when they see him knocking about, he has got a big presence and he has got a big heart.”

Crarey continued: “The club want progression, I want progression. We never made the five this year we were very unlucky, we missed out by one point and probably Oliver will make the difference – and other players we are bringing in.

“Rugby league in the lower divisions has never been as competitive. We have go to be ready for it and as a club we are slowly improving. This signing shows that we are improving again on the calibre of player that we are bringing in.”