PAUL Crarey believes part-time Betfred Championship clubs like Barrow Raiders are being handicapped by the travel arrangements for away games at Toulouse Olympique.

The Raiders players and coaches had to take an early-morning flight the day before Saturday's game in France, having all worked the previous day, and coming soon after playing two games in four days over Easter.

Also travelling with them was the match commissioner, who had driven from Hull to Manchester Airport and who expressed to Barrow head coach Crarey his intention to include how fatigue affected everyone in his report.

Crarey was full of praise for the hotel and facilities provided for the team by Toulouse. But he was in no doubt the early start, as opposed to being able to take a later flight, was a contributory factor in Barrow's 50-4 defeat in the South of France.

"The big thing is we played Monday and then, after the lads had worked all day, to get on a bus at 1am in the morning to go to Manchester Airport. We are up all night, fly at 7am and get to the hotel in France at 12pm, it's just ridiculous," said Crarey.

"If we'd had a flight at 12pm and we're up at a normal time to travel, then it's a normal day, but you never get that back.

"I was at Tudor Square (in Dalton) at 1am in the morning getting on a bus and thinking 'what am I doing this for?' – and it's just draining.

"That's no excuse, but we weren't prepared to play rugby league, and I was chuffed the match commissioner said the same thing and was going to write it in his report."

In contrast, Crarey revealed Paul Rowley had told him Toronto Wolfpack were able to spend an extra day in France ahead of their Easter Monday win over Toulouse after flying out on the Saturday.

The Canadian side were able to pay for that themselves though, and Crarey wants the RFL to consider player welfare for the part-time sides when it comes to arranging flights in future.

"They (Toronto) have got the money to do that and people who can put that in place, but we're a small club with a small budget who can't do that," said Crarey.

"But if we're playing these teams, we've got to be given a chance to do that. People look at the score as a blow-out, but there are circumstances behind that.

"It's player welfare I'm thinking about; players might get hurt and they're fatigued, and even if they think they can function they're not going to."