A TRIP to one of the top NRL clubs over the New Year period has given Paul Crarey further belief that Barrow Raiders are on the right track when it comes to youth development.

Raiders head coach Crarey had an invitation extended to him by Brisbane Broncos head of youth Brendan Barlow, flying Down Under to see how the six-time Australian champions go about bringing through their young players.

The pair became acquainted when Barlow toured the UK with the Australian Schoolboys during his spell as their head coach and Crarey seized the chance to take him up on the offer, returning with some new ideas to apply and confident Barrow are moving in the right direction.

“He invited us over, so I spent a bit of time with him, had a look around the Broncos, and he gave us a bit of a heads-up on what they look for and about our development,” said Crarey. “He took us around the Broncos, around the training ground and in the sheds, and it was good.

"It's just how they keep everything simple. It's just all about the small things, not the big things – the small things make all the difference. He also told me about what they look for in their kids and how they develop them, which we can take to our kids.

“We're certainly heading in the right direction with what he showed me, so I'm really pleased. It just gives you a little bit of a thing to say that we're doing things right at the club.”

One of the areas of focus for Crarey since returning to Raiders for his second spell as head coach has been putting a pathway in place for young players to progress through to the senior side, with the Furness Raiders under-19s now having a Barrow elite under-16s squad beneath them.

There is the possibility of the club bringing back a reserve team at some point in the near future as well – subject to finances – and Crarey is pleased with the progress which has been made already.

“That's what we've set out to do,” he said. “When (former Barrow chairman) David Sharpe brought me in, he wanted me to build the club up and put things in place.

“Our academy is going great guns. They took on Roose, which is an open-age side, and won convincingly. The scoreline didn't mean anything to anyone, but the manner in which some kids who are just 16 played against senior players played is unbelievable, really.

“Everyone has bought into the concept of it, amateur teams and the Barrow and District have been brilliant playing against them and now Roose have stepped up.”

Furness product Ryan Johnston has already earned himself a professional deal and the former Dalton amateur again caught the eye with his performance off the bench in Sunday's 22-22 draw in a friendly at home to Championship side Oldham.

He is likely to get a longer run-out when Barrow host Coventry Bears at the end of the month, as are many of the club's other youngsters and players, who have stepped up from the amateur teams in the area.

“We don't want to burn everyone out before the season starts – five friendlies is a lot, but we've got a big enough squad to rotate and play everybody,” said Crarey.

“We'll probably put a young side out against Coventry with a sprinkling of experience and see how they react to that.”