Barrow Raiders captain Jarrad Stack says it has been pleasing to see younger members of the squad staking their claims for a starting shirt ahead of the new campaign.
Stack, who enjoyed his first minutes of pre-season against Workington Town last weekend, admits head coach Paul Crarey is going to have a difficult time selecting his matchday 17 against Toulouse Olympique next week.
Having had a chance to take a look at his new team-mates, the 34-year-old is excited by the group’s potential to develop over the coming weeks.
“It was really good to get out there this week with the boys, especially with missing the first friendly due to work commitments,” Stack said.
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“I felt a bit rusty but that’s what pre-season friendlies are all about.
“I’ve made it clear to the lads that they have three games to prove to Cresta why they should be in the 17, come the first week of the season.
“In the opening friendly, some boys really took that opportunity. I was very impressed with the young lads, especially Rio Corkill and Ellis Archer, and Ryan Johnston was dominant in the halves – he has been killing it in pre-season.
“With Jack Wells coming in as well, he has really shown why he has played Super League, and that’ll help drive standards up. With all these new lads, we’ve added quality to last year’s team and I’m excited to see how we get on.”
The Raiders’ third and final assignment of pre-season will see five-time Super League champions Wigan Warriors visit the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium.
It poses a tough test for the squad, with Matt Peet set to bring a mixture of first team, fringe and academy players to Cumbria.
“Wigan will be a good battle,” he added. “They won’t send the full first team – it will be a real mix, but being Wigan, they don’t have just any mug wearing their jerseys.
“It’s going to be a challenge that the boys will relish.”
🍒 @WiganWarriorsRL are coming to town… are you ready?
🎟️ https://t.co/JDJpfPgQsS pic.twitter.com/3oqhBKhMZB
— Barrow Raiders (@BarrowRaiders) January 25, 2023
Having captained the Raiders to a memorable play-off spot on their return to the Betfred Championship last year, Stack believes the club must look to consolidate their place in the league and try to kick on this time around.
He also hopes to see the squad put a marker down in Round 1 against Toulouse Olympique, who were relegated from Super League last season.
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That fixture will mark the start of the new season on Saturday 4 February (3:00pm kick-off). Tickets can be bought here, and streaming passes are also available for the fixture via the RFL’s Our League platform.
“This season is just about building on the last and being a consistent team that can compete in the Championship, not just survive,” the Australian forward said. “I certainly think we can do it with the players we have.
“It’s a blessing in disguise getting Toulouse early on. Potentially they could be rusty and how far they have to travel might help us.
“We all know what other teams thought about us last year, calling us the Mud Kings! We up the intensity on our home patch, especially with our vocal home fans lifting us up a gear, so I think we could surprise them.”
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Jarrad Stack is proudly sponsored by Unite the Union.