THERE is an old adage which states the more things change, the more they stay the same.

That is certainly true for Martin Aspinwall, who has carried on doing what he has always done since being named Barrow Raiders captain for the 2018 Betfred Championship season.

The loose forward was already regarded as one of the senior players in the Raiders squad when he was chosen to take over the role from Ollie Wilkes, now with Workington Town, ahead of the team's return to the second tier of professional rugby league.

Becoming the figurehead for the team does bring with it some extra responsibilities, but otherwise Aspinwall continues to set an example to follow in the way he always has over his previous two seasons at Craven Park, via his meticulous preparation and actions on the field.

It is precisely for those reasons why head coach Paul Crarey decided to ask him to be the Raiders skipper, and is a position the 35-year-old is honoured to accept.

“It's a privilege,” said Aspinwall. “Barrow is a rugby league town with a good heritage and they've had some good players over the years, so it's nice to be entrusted with this position. It's something I'm just looking to do my best at, really.

“My preparation never changes and I prepare the same for every game.

"Last year, when Ollie was captain, I had quite a big input into video sessions and team meetings as well, so it's not really a massive change to what I was previously doing.

“It's just a few bits extra I do which comes with being captain and being a spokesman for the lads, if anyone has got any troubles then I'm the guy they come to and instead of going to the coach, I'll do it on their behalf.

“It's just things like that and not a lot changes. I was already a senior player last year, so there's not a lot of difference really.”

Aspinwall's first competitive game as captain proved something of a difficult one though, with Barrow going down 56-12 away to London Broncos last Sunday in their first Championship match since 2014.

It proved a frustrating day for both him and his team-mates, who were left feeling the final score at Ealing's Trailfinders Sports Ground did not reflect the efforts they had put in, particularly with them having held their own before half time and three of the Broncos' tries coming in the final five minutes when a man down due to injuries.

Aspinwall acknowledged the match may have been something of a shock to the system for the squad in regards to what they can expect from the Championship though, even for those like himself who have experience life at this level before.

“We always knew it was going to be tough and we couldn't get a much tougher start than we've got, and we looked at the video and it's stuff we can fix,” said Aspinwall.

“We didn't have a game the previous week and they had a tough game against Hull KR the previous week, so maybe we were a bit off-the-pace, but we know where we have to be intensity-wise.

“They were coming off the line very quick and we were struggling to make yards at times. If we can be like that on our own pitch, we can be tough to beat as well, but we've just got to get used to playing at this level again.

“I've played at this level before, but you spend two seasons in League One and you kind of get those habits, so it's getting back into the habits of more intense competition.”

The Raiders will have a good idea of what to expect tomorrow though when they take on old League One rivals Toronto Wolfpack, with the Canadians making their first visit to Craven Park.

The Wolfpack made a flying start to life in the Championship with a 34-12 win away to relegated Leigh Centurions last Sunday, although Aspinwall believes Barrow can compete if they can fix up one or two issues from the loss down in London.

“It's going to be very tough and we know that, but there is stuff we can do and can improve upon from the London game to make our lives a bit easier; errors, controlling the ruck a little better and penalties late on in the tackle count,” said Aspinwall.

“Little things like that don't help you and they sap your energy. They've had a great win against Leigh and will be full of confidence – and rightly so.

“They're in a good environment, they're full-time and they've got everything they need, but we're going to give 100 per cent and see what happens.

“The effort was there against London, but it was a bit of a shock and getting used to that intensity. This week, we've got a game under our belt at that level and we're looking for an improved performance.”