DAVID Cairns has been impressed with the impact the younger members of this year’s Furness Raiders squad have made in the early weeks of the new College Rugby League season.

Several players being unavailable due to county and club commitments meant the new intake of under-16s players from last year got the chance to show what they could do in the season opener at home to Salford Red Devils Rising Star last Wednesday.

Despite being up against a physically bigger side and playing 54 minutes with 12 men after Jack Crarey was sent off for an alleged biting offence in the first half, the Raiders triumphed 36-24 in the match at Askam.

Walney Central winger Adam Ford led the way for the hosts with two tries, but Cairns was just as pleased with the displays from the newcomers and will look for more of the same when the under-19s squad head to Halifax Elite Academy for the second match of the season today (kick-off 5pm).

“There were a couple of younger lads who I was really impressed with,” said Cairns. “It’s a daunting thing to go on that pitch when there are lads two or three years older than you when they’re used to playing in their own age group, and now there are guys a lot bigger than them and stronger.

“We want to develop players, but we want to win games as well and if you win games, confidence gets higher.

“You gain from losses and wins, and learn things about players in different ways, but there are some really good young lads at the younger end who are involved in the Cumbria under-17s and are exceptional kids, and we’ve got to try to get them in this team.”

Like Furness, Halifax kicked off their season with a win, triumphing 46-4 away to the Warrington Wolves team linked to Priestley College – newcomers to the Premier Division.

Halifax have been one of the strongest sides in the competition since the Raiders joined two years ago, although Cairns is well-aware of how much age-group sides can vary from season to season, depending on how many players at the older end have moved on.

Furness are one of the teams who have had several stalwarts of the team in recent years progress to open-age rugby, but Cairns believes there is still plenty of raw ability in the side and praised the area’s amateur coaches for developing players with the skill-set to succeed.

“These lads are only young, but they’ve all been playing rugby for a lot of years - especially the older ones who’ve had a couple of years at the Raiders and there are some really, really good players in this squad,” said Cairns.