Barrow Raiders have handed young hooker Fin Dutton-Rosconie his first professional deal with the club.
Dutton-Rosconie came through the Furness Raiders Development Academy ranks and went on to make his debut for the first team in a 46-0 defeat at Wakefield Trinity in September 2024.
Much of his time since then has been spent in the community game, where he has represented Barrow Island.
Back in May, the 21-year-old was given the opportunity to feature for the Raiders in the Betfred Championship against Doncaster. In that game, he scored his first professional try and played a starring role in the club’s 36-12 victory in South Yorkshire.
He subsequently featured in victories over Hunslet and Workington Town and was praised by head coach Paul Crarey for his sizeable impact in such a short space of time.
Dutton-Rosconie becomes the latest Furness Raiders graduate to make inroads into the first team and follows in the footsteps of Trent Ruddy and Stevie Watson, who have also penned professional terms in the last 12 months.
“I’m over the moon to sign my first professional contract, especially for my hometown club and a side I grew up watching with my family,” he said.
“As a young kid, all I wanted to do was get the chance to represent my hometown club, and now that dream is finally coming true. I can’t wait to carry on the hard work and see what we can achieve together.
“All the lads have been fantastic, the coaches have been great, and I feel like this environment is where I’ll develop best as a player. Other clubs were interested, but right now, I feel like Barrow is the perfect fit for me.
“I’ll keep learning off everyone at the club and try to develop with every training session, every game, and see where it takes me.”
Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey said: “Fin Dutton-Rosconie got his chance, was great, then because he wasn’t signed, went to America after the Doncaster game for a few weeks.
“We want to bring through our own. He’s been great since arriving as an amateur and worked so hard to get his shot in the first team.
“Players like Fin are the future of this club.”
Director of rugby Andy Gaffney said: “Fin may be young in terms of age, but he isn’t afraid to mix it with players of far greater size and reputation.
“The three competitive games he played earlier in the year demonstrated exactly why everyone at the club values him so highly, and I’m confident that he will be another success story for our youth pathway.
“We have always valued promoting players from within, and Fin is a prime example of a young lad determined to grasp every opportunity he gets with the first team.
“He has fitted into the group really well, and if he continues to put in the hard yards, I’m sure he will become a key player for us over the coming years.”
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