Barrow Raiders' Head Coach Paul Crarey has told his players that the fittest team could win next season’s League 1.

The Craven Park outfit began their pre-season training for the 2021 season this month.

However, with the UK still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Crarey revealed that there have been a few omissions from the sessions.

“It’s been a mixed bag since we started training again,” Crarey said.

“We are obviously going to get that with the pandemic.

“There are some players who have had Covid-19 symptoms through work and had to self-isolate.

“So we’ve missed a few players, but still averaged around 18 players per session which is pretty good.”

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The Raiders will have their last training session on Wednesday before the Christmas break.

With the players returning to training on 6th January, Crarey is expecting his side to return in good shape as their preparation intensifies for the upcoming season.

Crarey said: “They will have to look after themselves over Christmas because it will be pretty full on when we get back.

“I said to our players that the fittest team in League 1 might win it this year.

“So, we have got to make sure we are the fittest team to be right up there for promotion.”

Crarey’s side will be playing in the third tier of the Rugby Football League (RFL) this year after their bid for promotion was rejected.

With Crarey now intent on gaining promotion back to the Championship this season, he believes Covid-19 could have a huge impact.

He explained: “It will be about who can stay Covid-free.

“There could be weeks where teams lose two or three key players because of circumstances relating to Covid-19.

“So, you have got to give yourself the best chance with fitness.”

The RFL are expected to announce the fixture list in January.