DARREN Carter is looking forward to seeing his young charges take to the field when Furness Raiders host a Barrow and District side at Craven Park tonight (kick-off 7.30pm).

The friendly marks the first test for the Barrow Raiders under-19s side, formed as part of a link-up with Furness College, as they prepare to make their bow in RFL College Rugby League next month.

Academy head coach Carter is pleased with what he has seen from the squad in the build-up to the 2016/17 season and is excited to see how they will fare against open-age players from the Barrow and District League.

“They've been really good,” said Carter of his players. “They've really listened to everything we've told them and taken it on board.

“I think they're just looking forward to getting out there and playing now, and it's a good chance for them to go out there and express themselves.

“We played Barrow and District last year and it was a really good game, played in the right spirit with a decent crowd. We were just beaten (34-20), but it was good for us and hopefully it will be the same again.”

Carter hopes the match can take a format which would see Furness able to utilise their full squad of up to 25 players, so it could be split into three periods of 25 or 30 minutes.

And, while playing a side comprised of adult players will be a different challenge to the one the team will face on a regular basis against fellow under-19 players, Carter wants to see his team stick to the principals he believes will serve them well.

“A lot of the lads already play open-age rugby for their amateur clubs, so they'll probably be coming up against people they know,” said Carter.

“When they're playing open age, it's not always easy for them to express themselves as much and they might be playing in different positions.

“We want them to go out there and express themselves, and you often see them become different players when they are playing with people of the same age and their mates.”

Planning for the new College Rugby League campaign, which is due to kick off in the first week of October, has been affected by some last-minute changes to the format of the competition.

Having originally been due to host Wigan Warriors Education Academy at home, the Raiders youngsters now face the prospect of an away game first up – possibly against Loughborough College.

However, Carter said: “It's not ideal, but we're going to face different challenges throughout the year and I'm confident we'll be able to deal with whatever ones we get.

“We've got a good group of players here and they're just looking forward to starting the season.”