Prop forward Anton Iaria says he has loved every minute of his time in Cumbria since arriving at Barrow Raiders.
The Italy international joined the club in November ahead of the Raiders’ return to the Betfred Championship.
He previously played in the Queensland Cup for East Tigers, Melbourne Storm’s feeder team, before featuring for Penrith Panthers’ New South Wales Cup team in 2021 before the season was cut short due to the pandemic.
The powerful front-rower crashed over for his first try in Raiders colours last weekend, helping the team to an impressive 38-12 victory over League 1 side Rochdale Hornets.
They will face Cumbrian rivals Workington Town in the next round of the competition, live on BBC Sport, with kick-off at 1:00pm on Sunday 13 March.
Before then, however, they will put their unbeaten start to the new season on the line against fellow high-flyers Widnes Vikings, who have won each of their opening four league matches in 2022.
Iaria admits he is enjoying his new life in Cumbria and is excited to kick on.
“It’s been really good,” he said. “From the minute I arrived here, everyone was very welcoming.
“The people of Barrow and everyone that I’ve met have been really receptive and taken me in as one of their own.
“In the six weeks that I’ve been here now, there’s been some shocking weather, but I’m getting used to it!
“It’s such a tight-knit community, where people would take the shirt off their own backs to give to one another. They’re welcoming people, which has been great.”
Reflecting on his first Raiders four-pointer, the 26-year-old added: “It was really good to get my first try in Barrow colours. I think it was just a by-product of being in the right place at the right time, around a lot of good players.
“We’re connecting really well, on and off the field. We’ve put together some good wins and our defence has been our biggest focus.”
With six straight wins in all competitions since the turn of the new year, Paul Crarey’s side face a stern test on Monday night as they travel to Widnes’ DCBL Stadium, live on Premier Sports.
Iaria hopes to see his side build further momentum as they prepare to lock horns on the Vikings’ artificial pitch.
“Things are going well at the moment, but we’ve got a big challenge coming up on Monday,” he said. “That’ll give us a great indicator of where we’re at right now.
“Widnes are flying at the moment, and putting a lot of points on the board as well.
“They’ve got an artificial pitch, a bit different to what we’re used to in the mud at Craven Park, but I think we’ll do really well.
“We’ve got a really skilful team who like to move the ball around. If we can do all the little things right, it’ll be a really good game. I’m really excited for it.”
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