Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey has praised the manner in which his players outclassed Bradford Bulls to record their second Betfred Championship victory of the season on Sunday.

The Raiders ran in a total of eight tries in a scintillating display at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium, with full-back Luke Cresswell grabbing a hat-trick in their 46-12 win.

Crarey’s side had trailed 6-4 at the break but came out firing in the second 40 minutes with a performance that the Bulls had no answer for.

“We talked at half-time about putting the ball on the money, turning their back three around, kicking and chasing really hard. I think we got our rewards with a little bit of patience,” Crarey said post-match.

“We didn’t have many good ball sets near their 20 in the first half. It was ‘tit for tat’, and they kicked a couple of penalties and we scored a nice try down the left edge.

“In the second half, I thought we were absolutely outstanding. Luke Cresswell out of the back with his support play, our left edge, our right edge. We got them through the middle too.

“To put 46 points on was unbelievable, and I didn’t see that coming. We’ve worked so hard in the last fortnight, and when the chips are down and people doubt us, that brings out the best in you. It inspired us.”

Crarey believes the challenge now is to ensure his players can back up their performance when they head to the capital to face London Broncos on Saturday.

“We’ve got lots of local players in that team today who showed us some passion and gave everything they’ve got,” he added.

“We haven’t been far away [all season], that’s the big thing. We’ve put some good stints in and lost games at the death. We’ve got to push on now and don’t believe the press that we get for this.

“You’ve got to be at your best every week, but I’m so pleased for the crowd.”

Crarey also confirmed that Ellis Gillam will sit out their next fixture under concussion protocols. Fellow Raiders forward Greg Burke also left the field early on Sunday and he is a doubt for Saturday’s Round 11 fixture.