Barrow Raiders head to York this weekend for the Betfred Championship’s annual Summer Bash event.
Ahead of Saturday’s clash with local rivals Whitehaven, we caught up with Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey, half-back Jarrod Sammut and on-loan centre Keanan Brand.
Playing the conditions
Paul Crarey hopes conditions will play into the Raiders’ favour as they look to avenge their narrow Good Friday defeat to Whitehaven.
Hot tempters are expected in York across the weekend, suiting teams keen to play a positive, free-flowing brand of rugby.
“It’s a warm day, and when we played Bradford it was warm and quick,” Crarey said.
“Hopefully that will suit us a bit more, our style. We don’t want to get sucked into a forward battle like we did last time.
“We want to go there positive and play like we did against Bradford, rather than we did against London when we were a bit tentative.
“What we’ve done when we’ve played well is throw the ball around with lots of enthusiasm, so we need to do that in abudance to give ourselves a chance because they’ve pulled off some great wins.”
‘It’s the one fixture you look for’
Jarrod Sammut is excited to come to the fore again this weekend, having played a pivotal role in the Raiders’ last trip to the Summer Bash.
Headingley proved to be a happy hunting ground for the Raiders in last year’s event, with Sammut steering his side to a thrilling 36-24 victory over Widnes Vikings.
“It’s the one fixture that you look for at the beginning of the season and wait to see who your opponents are,” the half-back said.
“You’re normally up against a rival, so that builds things up even more for the game. Being a neutral ground, it’s all about whoever turns up with the best attitude and stays within their game plan.
“It should be an exciting weekend and a great spectacle.”
Brand meaning business
Another player who is hoping to make an impression at the Summer Bash is loan signing Keanan Brand,
Brand recently joined on a short-term deal and made his debut in the capital at London Broncos in their last outing. Despite falling to a defeat on that day, he is excited to take to the field again with his new team-mates.
“The Summer Bash is a great occasion for everyone,” he said. “I’ve played there before and it’s a great weekend for all the teams involved.
“Fans from all over come to support, so I can’t wait to get out there with the boys.
“I’d done one session before I played against London, but I’ve really bonded with the lads. They’re a great squad, and it’s great to be a part of the team.”
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