BY his own admission, Danny Morrow's first professional season has not turned out quite how he would have planned.

Having stepped up from playing amateur rugby league with Walney Central in the winter, the second row has found himself on the sidelines for nearly as many games as he has played, after being handed four and then five-game suspensions – both for dangerous throws.

Nevertheless, Raiders head coach Paul Crarey has stuck by Morrow and his faith in the 26-year-old was shown when he was thrust straight back into the team for last Sunday's 46-6 Kingstone Press League One play-off semi-final victory at home to Doncaster.

It is all part of the learning process for the former BARLA Great Britain international as he tries to adapt his tackling technique and ensure he spends more time on the pitch than off it, be it steering clear of suspension or injury.

“My last season at Walney was pretty disastrous in terms of injuries as well, so I was hoping to start my professional career down at Barrow injury-free – which I did,” said Morrow.

“Even though all of the lads will tell you I'm never out of the physio room, I always try to train and make myself available for selection. That hasn't been my downfall this season, it's been the suspensions I was given both for the dangerous throws.

“My tackling technique is one I've stuck with – I go low and drive the player back – and I believe it to be an effective tackle. But I've been working on it in training and making it right.

“It's a bit different when you step up to this level. The guys are a lot fitter and more agile, and bigger size-wise, so I've been tending to mistime my tackle, which has ended up with their player on their forehead rather than on their backs.”

Morrow is grateful for the faith shown by Crarey and the coaching staff at Barrow in putting him straight back into the starting line-up last Sunday.

And he wasted little time in getting involved, charging down a kick in the opening minutes and then making the break which led to the home side's opening score.

“Getting straight back into the team felt excellent,” said Morrow. “It was brilliant being back on the park with that particular set of lads.

“They've had a great run of victories over the last nine or 10 games and after the unexpected, painful suspension that was thrown at me, it was great to be back on the field. Obviously, my mood was intensified after we came away with a 40-point win over Doncaster!

“I was quite surprised to be straight back in against Doncaster. I kept my fitness up and I'd been hitting the gym as if I have been playing every week, and trying to keep it up just in case of any injuries. It's great having the support from Paul.

“At the weekend, I think we all knew we were going to dominate the game, but I think as a team we anticipated a closer scoreline. Personally, I found it a fast and physical game, but from the scoreline we dominated from start to finish.”

Like the rest his team-mates, Morrow is now relishing the prospect of facing Toulouse Olympique in the play-off final tomorrow afternoon, and is eager to repay the support both the club's board and fans have given the squad throughout the course of the season.

This will be the BAE Systems project engineer's first experience of facing the French outfit, having missed the previous two defeats while serving his bans, although he has been studying them on DVD and is well-aware of the dangers they will pose.

And, despite having to face some challenges this year, Morrow is delighted to have been part of the Barrow squad and is confident they can make it an even more memorable campaign with victory at Toulouse.

“I've enjoyed every minute of it on and off the field,” he said. “They're a great set of lads and the attitude in training this week has been nothing short of inspiring.

“For the Raiders as a whole, I don't think the season could have gone much better, to be honest. The winning streak the squad have been on is unbelievable and we've trained our backsides off to get where we are now.

“We're all hoping to end our season on our high and the vibe at training, as I say, is inspirational, and we truly believe we are going to win at Toulouse.”

The Raiders Bar at Craven Park will be open from noon on Sunday for supporters to meet the players, whatever the result in Toulouse. All are welcome and can bring memorabilia to get it signed.