Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey has labelled some of his side’s display against North Wales Crusaders as “outstanding”.
The Raiders ran in 10 tries on home soil to begin preparations for the new Betfred Championship season in emphatic style.
Despite the result, Crarey insists improvements must be made ahead of the Raiders’ upcoming friendlies against Workington Town and Wigan Warriors later this month.
“I thought we did well,” he said post-match. “We probably played in 10 minute blocks where we played with intensity.
READ MORE: 2023 squad numbers revealed
“We were a bit sloppy all over in terms of shape and ruck speed.
“By Championship standards, the game was slow. We’ve got to rise above being slow and play with intensity leading up to Wigan.”
The fixture marked Nathan Mossop’s testimonial, and the experienced hooker scored in both halves, having overcome illness earlier in the week to feature in the match.
New recruits Ellis Archer and Rio Corkill crossed twice, with further tries from Ryan Johnston (2), Andrew Bulman and Danny Langtree.
“We’re happy with some of the tries, they were outstanding,” Crarey added.
“We played rugby, and it was my fault if we didn’t complete because I said that they needed to go out and express themselves.
SHOP NOW: Raiders merchandise
“Everybody played everywhere. We had wingers playing back row, centres playing pivot, everybody mixing and matching.
“It’s pretty difficult to control everything and we lacked structure, but to score 50-odd points in the first game back is outstanding.
“We’ve got to be better next week when Workington come to town. We’ve only got two sessions to do that in, so every second counts.”
Buy your 2023 season ticket ahead of the new campaign!