BARROW Raiders Ladies head coach Amanda Wilkinson believes tomorrow’s friendly clash with Huddersfield Giants Ladies will be a good yardstick for what is to come.

Wilkinson’s history-makers travel to face Giants as they continue to build up to their first season at the highest level of the women’s game – The Super League.

And the Ladies head coach says the clash should give them a measure of where they are at.

Speaking to The Mail, she said: “The big thing for us is that I have chosen Huddersfield because they are a Super League team.

“I think going up against them should allow us to measure where we are at just a little bit.

“For me a friendly is not about us going out there and worrying about the score. It’s about making sure every individual player gains something from the experience.

“I just want to know where the players are at physically and to see if they are going to be strong enough in this competition.”

Wilkinson says the players are eager to get out on the grass, and to get a taste of what is to come.

She added: “At the end of the day these girls train because they want to play.

“They are like big kids really, they just want to go out there and play, and they are just so excited to get the new kit on and get out there.

“They are a really close-knit group and just love to play alongside each other, so they are really looking forward to it.

“And I think that they will want to know where they are at themselves, and they can use this game as a guide to where they are as a team and individually.”

The friendly clash will be tailored to suit both Raiders and Giants as part of their Super League preparations.

Wilkinson explained: “We’ve spoken to Huddersfield and we are looking to have the whole squad there and have unlimited substitutes, and maybe even play the game as four quarters as well.

“So it will literally be a game where both teams can look at what they’ve got and try different options.

“For me I will be looking at our structure and the players understanding their roles, and how they execute those roles.

“We do a lot of work around individuals, because I believe if they are individually prepared, and they understand what their role is that makes a good team.

“We will probably be looking at the players in the squad who are sitting outside the matchday squad of 17 or the starting 13, and looking at what they bring and where they are at.

“I’ve not seen the new players play that much, so I want to see where they are at. I’ve picked them from the trials for various reasons, and now I’m looking how they take that into a game, and what they are like under pressure.

“With the starting 13 I’ll be looking to see where they are at with the stuff we have tried to implement in pre-season, and have they taken that stuff onboard, and can they execute that in the pressure of a game.”