PAUL Crarey believes the RFL should be doing more to assist teams heading out to Canada to play Toronto Wolfpack after experiencing the difficulties faced by Barrow Raiders.

After having a disrupted build-up due to visa issues preventing four players from travelling, Raiders took to the field with something of a mix-and-match side for the clash of the Kingstone Press League One top two, ultimately succumbing 70-2.

To make matters worse, Jarrad Stack was forced off with a back injury he had been struggling with prior to kick-off – having volunteered to play after orginally being withdrawn from the team – and Delcan Hulme popped a rib cartlidge.

Raiders head coach Crarey was proud of all 17 players who were part of the squad at Lamport Stadium, and praised their hosts for their hospitality and help too, but was left in no doubt the RFL should give the part-time sides travelling to Toronto more support.

“To come out here and do what these players have done, bashed-up, injured and not even ready for it, some of these kids who decided to go on Wednesday night, I take my hat off to them,” said Crarey.

“It's taken a week off my work schedule and some of these kids are only getting £30 for losing, and for me it's probably only something you can do once in a season because it's so demanding.

"It's about player welfare, to me, as well. Jarrad has got a back problem where he was in bed straight after the game, couldn't walk the following morning and has to sit on a plane for seven hours – and that's his recovery.

“If he had to go into hospital over here, what would happen to his family? Would one of us have to stay behind? There is no RFL representation and all we got was 'ring Canada' – and they have bent over backwards for us.”

It was left to Crarey, plus coaches Steve Rea and Paul Taylor, to look after everything for the squad in Canada, and the Barrow boss has called on the RFL to ensure any teams heading out in the future have a representative of the governing body with them for the duration of the trip to act as a guide.

He also feels more should be done to assist teams with the visa process after Barrow were criticised for not anticipating the problems which arose.

“Everyone is saying it's Barrow's fault, but we spoke to (Canadian) immigration and for some of the lads, it would be three to six months before we would get them in and I think it was £80 per player we had to pay for the documentation to go through the process as well,” said Crarey. “We haven't have any help from our governing body, which is really poor.

"They're our governing body, we need guidance and help, but over here the Canadians have been brilliant. They have given us everything we have asked for and any problems we have had, they have sorted.

“I believe there should be an RFL rep on every trip to guide us through the process to help us and guide us, because we were left totally on our own.”

As for the game itself, a hat-trick from Quentin Laulu-Togaga'e and 22 points from the boot of Craig Hall helped the Wolfpack romp to a 12-try triumph and move two points clear at the top of League One.

Raiders had led early on through a penalty from Lewis Charnock and competed with the hosts for the first 20 minutes, only for five quick tries towards the end of the first half to put the full-timers firmly in control.

“They're a super team and I thought we did well in parts – as well as any team have against them up to now,” said Crarey, who added he felt as if his side had been “fed to the wolves.”

“They play some good football, but I was disappointed with some of the soft tries they scored, especially from kick-offs. Goal-line defence was good at the start, but fatigue was massive for us.”

“The biggest thing for me is you've got two teams who are seven-and-zero and one can't field its strongest side, and how that works is, to me, totally beyond belief.”