To celebrate the mid-season international break, we have delved into the archives to pick out a selection of the current and former Barrow Raiders players who have represented their country.
Take a look at some of our favourites…
England
There’s no better place to start than Willie Horne – Barrow Raiders’ greatest ever player.
Horne captained the club to its only ever Challenge Cup triumph in 1955, against fellow Cumbrian side Workington Town.
A Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee in 2014, Horne made 462 appearances for the Raiders and captained the club in two other Wembley finals – as well as enjoying further international honours with Great Britain.
Other former Raiders of the modern era who make the list are Jermaine McGillvary, who spent time on loan at the club earlier in his career, and Jamie Rooney.
Ireland
Pat Weisner made 33 appearances for the Raiders between 2007-08, having made his Ireland debut three years earlier.
Weisner was born in New South Wales but spent a number of seasons in the British game, featuring for the likes of Leigh, Halifax, Harlequins and Hull KR.
Other players who have represented both the Raiders and Wolfhounds include James King and Matt McConnell.
Scotland
At last year’s Rugby League World Cup, current Raiders player Charlie Emslie represented the Bravehearts against Fiji, almost two years after his international debut against Jamaica – having been called up to the national team alongside club team-mate Shane Toal.
Another player in the current first team squad, Sam Brooks, also made a solitary appearance for Scotland in 2015.
Other former Scotland representatives include Simon Knox and Andrew Henderson – the current head coach of fellow Betfred Championship side York RLFC Knights, who enjoyed two separate spells with the Raiders during his playing days.
Wales
Current first team players Tom Hopkins and Ben Evans represented the Dragons at the recent World Cup, with Hopkins only making his Wales debut in last year’s mid-season test against France.
Matt James, who spent two seasons at the Raiders, also made a pair of appearances for the Welsh national team back in 2007, against Scotland and Lebanon.
Papua New Guinea
PNG trio Willie Minoga, Wartovo Puara Jnr and Stargroth Amean all made the move to Cumbria ahead of the 2019 season.
Minoga, nicknamed ‘The Freight Train’, played a starring role in the Kumuls’ impressive 2017 World Cup campaign. During their time at the Raiders, the trio amassed over a half-century of appearances.
Italy
Current first team player Anton Iaria, who qualifies for Italy through his grandparents, played for the Azzurri at the recent World Cup, having helped them progress through qualifying ahead of the competition.
He was named in their 25-man squad alongside Alec Susino – another former Raider who made over 50 appearances for the club over two seasons in Cumbria.
Malta
Half-back Jarrod Sammut is the Raiders’ only Maltese representative.
The 36-year-old twice featured for his country during the 2022 season, in mid-season fixtures against Montenegro and Lebanon.
France
The Raiders’ most notable French representative is Hakim Miloudi, who helped the club to promotion from Betfred League 1 in 2021 before playing a starring role in the club’s return to the Betfred Championship.
In his 21 appearances last season, Miloudi scored 10 tries and set up countless others before returning to his native France following the conclusion of the campaign.
Morgan Escare and Mathieu Cozza – both of whom spent time on loan at the club last year – are also of French descent, with the former making 15 appearances for his national team throughout his career and the latter lining up for France B against England Knights ahead of the recent World Cup.
Nigeria
Prior to his move to the Raiders in December last year, Rio Corkill had already represented Nigeria on the international stage.
Corkill was called up by the Green Hawks ahead of last year’s Middle East Africa Championship in Accra, Ghana, which forms part of the qualification process for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.
They went on to beat Cameroon and Ghana.
Germany
Half-back Ben White made 10 appearances for the Raiders during the 2019 season, seven of which were starts.
Now at fellow Championship side Batley Bulldogs, White made his Germany debut last year as they narrowly defeated the Netherlands in Amsterdam.
Niue
Zebastian Lucky Luisi featured 77 times for the Raiders during a three-season spell at the club.
He previously spent four years at London Broncos and a year at Doncaster, before opting to return home to his birthplace of New Zealand in 2012.
In 2018, he represented Niue at the Emerging Nations World Championships, starting in the halves for all four of their tournament matches.
Please note: This list does not include all national team representatives.
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