Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey admits he is expecting a war of attrition away at Bradford Bulls this weekend.
The Raiders visit Odsal looking to keep their 100% winning start to the Betfred Championship season in-tact.
Meanwhile, the Bulls come into the game off the back of Monday night’s televised 38-4 defeat to Leigh Centurions at Leigh Sports Village.
Despite his side’s flying start to the 2022 campaign, Crarey knows the Raiders cannot be swayed by Monday’s result, but emphasised the importance of having a longer turnaround between matches.
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“I thought [Bradford] played well in the first half,” he said of the Bulls’ recent defeat. “Leigh can do that to any team really.
“I think Bradford would’ve been very sore on Tuesday morning, and hopefully with the turnaround they’ve got, which is a day shorter than ours, we can take advantage of that.”
Looking ahead to Sunday, he added: “I know it’ll be a war. It’s a small ground, very heavy, but we’re playing the conditions well at the moment, and the slower grounds suit us and the sides around the middle of the table.”
Conditions have been difficult for the Raiders in each of their opening three league fixtures, with gale-force winds and driving rain impacting the ability to produce free-flowing rugby.
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Crarey praised the ability of his players to grind out victories in tough circumstances.
“Speed is a killer as you play the sport at a higher level,” he said. “We’ve got to thank our lucky stars for the mud baths, but we’re playing some good rugby at the moment.
“We don’t play one-out rugby in the mud. [Against Bradford] I think it’ll be a good game, very interesting.”
Tickets for Sunday’s trip to Odsal can be bought through the official Bradford Bulls website.