Last updated at 11:14, Monday, 27 July 2009

• Video: Interview with Raiders coach Steve Deakin

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CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT

BARROW RAIDERS   74

LEIGH CENTURIONS 6

IT was the end of one of the most eventful weeks in the recent history of Barrow Raiders.

Every one of the 1,934 fans who made their way to Craven Park came wondering what the reaction of the players would be to four days that had seen their coach step down and be replaced and five new faces come into the ranks.

And what they saw was a Barrow side filled with a new life, a new vigour, a new determination – a Barrow side that ran riot with 13 tries and a complete demolition of opponents expected to provide a stiff challenge of new boss Steve Deakin’s men.

New half-back James Coyle was an obvious star of the show with his four tries, but more familiar faces among the Raiders team hit heights they had not reached in recent weeks, Zub Luisi, the returning Ned Catic, Liam Harrison – all had a new spring in their step.

Deakin was the first to admit this sudden turnaround from the defeats against Whitehaven and in the Northern Rail Cup final to Widnes could not be put down just to him, but whenever a club hires a new coach the players are always out to impress and that was exactly what they did here.

They started as they meant to go on as James Nixon collected a spilt ball from Leigh and made ground down the left.

Barrow took full advantage of the Centurions’ mistake, spreading it over to the right and Luisi throwing a cut-out pass to Chris Larkin who walked in for the first of his two tries.

Immediately after receiving the kick-off, Barrow made ground and picked out Luisi in the middle, who tore through the defensive line and raced into the Leigh half before passing to Coyle on his inside, the new man racing in under the posts for the first of his haul.

Then it was the turn of Jamie Rooney – back to the form he showed against Toulouse rather than the pale imitation shown at Whitehaven – to impress, putting up a high kick to the right corner on the last and seeing Larkin leap majestically to claim ahead of Niki Stanton and dive over the line.

Barrow now had an 18-0 lead, but Halifax held a similar advantage the night before against Featherstone and went on to lose, Raiders knew they could not do the same if they were to close the gap at the top.

In reality, there was never any danger.

Larkin almost had a hat-trick when Andreas Bauer chipped to the corner for him – Stanton there just in time to stop him – and it was obvious Deakin was keen to use that right flank more often and take the attention away from the Harrison and Nixon combination on the left.

That said, it was one of those two who scored next as Rooney took the ball from the base of a scrum inside Barrow’s half and kicked over the top.

It was Nixon who was chasing and, even though full-back Ian Mort had a 30-yard head-start, there was only ever one winner, the Barrow flier diving on the ball before it went dead for a magnificent score.

Barrow at least allowed Leigh a few moments of respite – though it is impossible to recall them even approaching the Raiders line – before they added a fifth try, Coyle again there in support after this time Andy Ellis broke through, the former Oldham man showing strength as well as pace as he pushed the tacklers off.

And two minutes later the score went out to 36-0 when Martin Ostler – one of the Barrow players to have shined in the recent defeats – went on a penetrating run, passing to Rooney who in turn sent Catic away to score, the Australians try just reward for the constant running he had been doing all half.

A few chances came to nothing either side of the break, but for once no-one was complaining – though a recurrence of Darren Holt’s knee problem after he threw himself off a tackle was the cause for some concern.

It was 10 minutes into the second half though when normal service was resumed, the ball being kept alive on Leigh’s 20-yard line and Gary Broadbent weaving and powering his way over for a rare try.
Harrison then exploded with a storming run that sent in Nixon for his second and Luisi executed the perfect offload near the line for Coyle to claim his debut hat-trick to bring up the half-century and make it 52-0.

Nixon was denied his hat-trick when he was on the end of a clever move that started with Harrison chipping over the defence and collecting himself, only for the touch judge to rule Nixon offside at the time of the kick.

Leigh scored next – with the look of a forward pass about it as Jamie Durbin went in – but that only antagonised Barrow to produce four tries in the last 11 minutes.

Harrison scored try number 10 after a passing move involving Ellis, Broadbent and Luisi and another unstoppable run from Ostler set Coyle in for his fourth, the half-back always in the right place at the right time in support.

Ellis made it a round dozen with a typical effort from dummy half on the line and in the final minute the ball was spread left and into the hands of Nixon, who raced away to take the hat-trick he had been denied 15 minutes earlier.

That score wrapped things up at 74-6, a margin unthinkable at the start of the day and a display that ranked among Barrow’s best of the season.

A new coach, new players – and old – all worked their magic and given two more weeks to get to know each other before their next game, have the scary prospect of becoming even better.

Barrow Raiders: Gary Broadbent, Chris Larkin, Andreas Bauer, Liam Harrison, James Nixon, Jamie Rooney, James Coyle, Chris Young, Andy Ellis, Andy Bracek, Ned Catic, Paul Noone, Zeb Luisi.
Subs: Dave Allen, Sam Thompson, Martin Ostler, Darren Holt.

Leigh Centurions: Ian Mort, Niki, Stuart Donlan, Mack Nanyn, Steve Maden, Tom Hemmingway, Ian Watson, Andy Hobson, Dave McConnell, Chris Hill, Dave Armitstead, James Taylor, Aaron Smith.
Subs: Jamie Durbin, McGraff Leuluai, Mike Morrison, Danny Meekin.

Referee: Robert Hicks (Oldham).

PLAYBACK

SIX MONUTES: Chris Larkin try, Rooney conversion, 6-0.
EIGHT MINUTES: James Coyle try, Rooney conversion, 12-0.
13 MINUTSE: Larkin try, Rooney conversion, 18-0.
19 MINUTES: James Nixon try, Rooney conversion, 24-0.
26 MINUTES: Coyle try, Rooney conversion, 30-0.
32 MINUTES: Ned Catic try, Rooney conversion, 36-0.
50 MINUTES: Gary Broadbent try, Rooney conversion, 42-0.
54 MINUTES: Nixon try, Paul Noone conversion, 48-0.
60 MINUTES: Coyle try, 52-0.
65 MINUTES: Jamie Durbin try, Ian Mort conversion, 52-6.
69 MINUTES: Liam Harrison try, Noone conversion, 58-6.
73 MINUTES: Coyle try, Noone conversion, 64-6.
78 MINUTES: Andy Ellis try, Noone conversion, 70-0.
80 MINUTES: Nixon try, 74-6.

Attendance: 1,934.

First published at 18:30, Saturday, 25 July 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk