Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey says he is expecting a tough game on Saturday against London Broncos.
The Raiders make the trip to capital following their biggest win of the season last time out. They beat Bradford Bulls 46-12 at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium, recording their second league win of the season in the process.
Crarey was happy with the performance, and says it was reminiscent of the level of performance which saw them secure an unfancied play-off berth last year.
Reflecting on last week, he said: “It was a great win. [We had our] highest completions for the year at 88%. Every time we have completed at over 80%, we have won the game.
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“No errors, no penalties, only three penalties given away. It’s a recipe of what we need to do to win.
“The second half was just breath-taking. We told them to kick with purpose and chase hard, and we got our rewards for that.
“Some of our tries were outstanding, and it was just a pleasure to get back a little bit to what we were doing last year.”
Ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Broncos, Crarey was full of praise for their upcoming opponents. The Raiders won 30-20 in their previous meeting at the Cherry Red Records Stadium,, while London’s last visit to the home of the Raiders ended in an 18-18 draw.
“They are a very athletic team, full of players that can get you from anywhere,” he added.
“I watched the yardage sets against York, and they were making 70-80 metres. Not over-structured, but really good to watch. They throw the ball around well, and they can score a lot of points.
“It’s always tough when you stop overnight and have to travel all the way down. Hopefully we can do ourselves justice.”
Crarey confirmed that Keanan Brand is set to make his Raiders debut this weekend following his arrival from Leigh Leopards on a short-term loan.
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The talented centre will enjoy some game time at the club as he works his way back to full fitness following a double hernia operation in the off-season.
“I know people say don’t change a winning team, but we need all the experience we can get when we go down there,” Crarey said.
“We brought Keanan in from Leigh. He’s a very, very good player. He’s very smart, very quick and very skilful, so we will need him.
“We’re missing Ellis Gillam and Greg Burke, who has a leg injury and can’t go. They are two big misses, but we will need to change round a little bit.”
“Josh Wood is back as well, and Greg Worthington will get a run. I’ll probably play him through the middle, which may be a shock to his system, but we want to keep a really quick edge.”
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