Barrow Raiders are more than capable of continuing their unbeaten start to 2022 against full-time Newcastle Thunder this weekend, says hooker Josh Wood.
The Raiders have won all their matches so far in 2022, starting off with two victorious pre-season friendlies before kicking off their return to the Betfred Championship with wins over Sheffield Eagles and Whitehaven.
Those results leave Paul Crarey’s side fourth in the table ahead of the weekend’s action, and they also boast the best defensive record of any side in the division after the opening two rounds.
Thunder, coached by Eamon O’Carroll, visit the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium this Sunday, with kick-off at 3:00pm.
Wood is expecting a tough test, but is confident his side have what it takes to record a third successive league win.
“We’ve been doing pretty well, considering the conditions we’ve been playing in,” he said. “I can’t wait for it to dry up so we can start shifting the ball around a little bit more.
“With the weather, it has meant we’ve had a lot of ‘one-out’ rugby, and it’s been a case of who wants it more.
“Confidence breeds confidence, and the mood around the camp and in training is really good.
“Everyone is buzzing, everyone is happy, so we just need to keep this winning streak going. We go again on Sunday.”
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The two sides met in pre-season action last month, with the Raiders running in 22 unanswered second half points to wrap up an entertaining 34-22 victory on home soil.
Despite this, Wood knows victory is not a certainty against a side looking to bounce back from last weekend’s 32-14 defeat to Batley Bulldogs.
“They came out strong [in pre-season] and tried to set the pace early. I don’t think we were really ready,” Wood admitted.
“I’m expecting them to come out raring again, and it’s just about us matching them from kick-off.
“They’re going to come at us hard, and they’ll have some players back in the mix, so we just need to go toe-to-toe with them.”
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A bumper crowd watched the Raiders topple the Eagles in their season-opening home match, despite torrid conditions.
Wood, who revealed he has been playing with an abductor injury during the early weeks of the campaign, has emphasised the importance of a vocal home support as they look to maintain their 100% winning start.
“[The Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium] is a tough place to go, especially when our fans are so vocal.
“We just need them to get behind us, and hopefully we can keep this run going.
“It’s literally just about taking each week as it comes. We’re just concentrating on ourselves, and making sure we’re turning up each week and putting our best foot forward.”
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