Raiders boss Crarey happy as hard work reaps rewards in London

Barrow led just 8-4 at half-time at the New River Stadium before a deluge of second half earned points them a 54-4 victory.

“It’s difficult to play attractive rugby on this pitch and it wasn’t attractive in the first half,” said Crarey.

“It’s a narrow pitch and windy conditions didn’t help. A lot of sides come down here and try to get the ball out wide and it’s not the way to beat them.

“We knew it would be physical early on and I brought in Karl Ashall to start as hooker. I wanted to upset the balance of the side a little and we also needed someone who could play off the floor early on.

“They have a big middle and it was frustrating early on, as we played into their hands, as we started to play to their style of rugby.

“There were a lot of high shots and then Jamie Dallimore got sin-binned for defending himself.

“We made more of an impact around the ruck area when Nathan Mossop came on at the point where Skolars were tiring. Brad Brennan and Andrew Dawson also came off the bench and made big contributions.

“The hard work that was done in the first half paid off as they collapsed and we ran riot.

“We’ve worked hard as a group and we’ve got better as the season has progressed. Those youngsters have grown in that period. But we’ve also had great performances from the older players; Oliver Wilkes played for the full 80 minutes today.”

He added: “Today will have helped with our points difference. The fans were brilliant today, coming down to London for the second time in two months. They’ve stood by us, especially with a side that has had some inexperienced players come in this season, the local youngsters and the players that have been with us on loan.”

Crarey will have to check on the fitness of Martin Aspinwall and Bradd Crellin who both suffered knocks during the game – but at least Barrow have a two-week break before their next match, at home to Keighley Cougars.