After the amount of rugby he had to miss last season, it's no surprise second row Bradd Crellin is relishing pre-season training this time around, which is more than can be said for some of his teammates.

Crellin hasn't been able to take to the field since early May, against Halifax, as soon after he suffered neck and shoulder injuries as a result of a car crash en route to training near Millom.

The Raiders' squad have yet to be put through the most gruelling drills of pre-season - including their notorious scramble over the dunes at Roanhead - with last Saturday's first day back mostly a gentle warm-up in comparison.

Crellin said: "They haven't let us know when we'll be going there yet, though I did hear a whisper before that we would be.

"I'm guessing we'll just turn up here one Saturday morning and find out that we'll be going over to Roanhead.

"I wanted to get that first session out of the way - it wasn't the toughest of sessions, as they kind of eased us in this year, but I'm sure that over the next couple of weeks it'll be pretty tough.

"I actually enjoy pre-season, myself. A lot of the lads dread it, but I enjoy it because you've got to put the hard work in to get the rewards afterwards, so I'm looking for that."

Millomite Crellin will be going into his sixth season at Craven Park after agreeing a new contract last week and trained alongside the amateur players who could potentially sign for Barrow on dual registration terms for the first time during the weekend.

As a product of the Woolybacks from his younger days, he knows the sort of route they could be about to embark on, saying: "They're good local lads and I know quite a few of them because I played against them when I was at Millom.

"They're good quality amateurs who I think will get a bit of game time during pre-season if they stick with us during it.

"The majority of the lads here are local and they've all come through the amateur game and the Barrow & District League.

"A couple of the lads played in the National Conference League, like young Connor Terrill who came through with Millom, so there is good quality in the squad, from the youngest to up there with the oldest."