Furness Raiders’ 2024/25 squad has been announced ahead of the new College League season.

Paul McMillan and Steve Perry’s 30-man squad contains a mixture of returning faces and new talent who impressed during the club’s open training session and trial game, which took place in July.

In all, there are nine new players joining the Furness Raiders ranks, with a further nine entering their final year with the side.

They will be captained by Finn McMillan, who recently signed a three-year deal with the Raiders first team.

The returning Dan Knott and Trent Ruddy will act as vice-captains during the upcoming season, which begins with a trip to Wakefield College on Wednesday 18 September. Furness Raiders’ full fixture list can be found here.

After over 18 months of hard work, Furness Raiders were awarded Development Academy status by the RFL in March 2023. We proudly remain the only club in Cumbria to have received recognition for the player talent pathway provided.

Many of our current and former Furness Raiders players have also gone on to achieve international honours at youth level.

Earlier this summer, Josh Blinkhorn and Dan Knott were part of the England Community Lions U19s squad that were crowned European champions in Serbia.

Seth Woodend and Rio Walker also travelled to Nantes with England’s U17s for a two-game series against France.

Furness Raiders joint head coach Paul McMillan said: “In order to continue the successful talent pathway down at Barrow Raiders, we will welcome 9 new faces into the fold this year. This will enable us to have a squad of 30 players moving into the 2024/25 season.

“The new intake will allow us to sustain the continuity required to be competitive in years to come.

“Since the squad got together in July, they have bonded well and are all buying into the new systems and processes. It is a step up physically, coming from junior rugby, but it will be managed accordingly. 

“Having a large squad allows us to feed in the younger players as and when we see fit. 

“When they come to us at Furness Raiders, we let them know that we see it as a three-year programme, and by the end of it they will hopefully in a better position to have a successful career in rugby league.

“As long as the players have an open mind with a willingness to learn, they will not only become better rugby players but also better people. This is a massive opportunity for the players to showcase their talent and ultimately gain a professional contract at the end of it.

“As a coaching team, we feel that we have the right blend of youth and experience to have a successful season and hopefully go one step further and make the final this year.”

2024/25 Furness Raiders squad

  • Isaac Barber
  • Jack Barker
  • Josh Blinkhorn
  • Luke Bolton
  • Toby Bowness
  • Tyler Brady
  • Leon Brotheridge
  • Ethan Dodding
  • Joe Geere
  • Connor Grant
  • Owen High
  • Ollie Holmes
  • Lucas James
  • Sam Knott
  • Dan Knott
  • Regan Livingstone
  • Isaac McLean
  • Finn McMillan
  • Ben Niven
  • Hudson Payne
  • Leni Regan
  • Trent Ruddy
  • Will Scott
  • Isaac Tizard
  • Floyd Tweddle
  • Jack Twiname
  • Rio Walker
  • Kai Williams
  • Jack Wilson
  • Seth Woodend

Join the Raid in 2024 – all home match tickets are on sale now!