Barrow Raiders full-back Luke Cresswell says confidence is high within the playing squad on the eve of the new Betfred Championship season.
The Raiders’ league campaign begins with a trip to Widnes Vikings – with both meetings last season proving to be closely-fought affairs.
Paul Crarey’s side are no strangers to victory at the DCBL Stadium, having produced an impressive display to down the Vikings 34-24 back in 2022.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s trip to Cheshire, Cresswell believes the artificial playing surface will play to the strengths of the newly-assembled Raiders squad as they look to climb the competition ladder again in 2024.
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“At the moment, it’s quite hard to tell what kind of game to expect, or to read too much into pre-season and cup games,” the 28-year-old said.
“Playing on an artificial pitch, we know it’ll be quick and we know we’ll need to get up to speed from the very first minute. A fast surface will help us show our quality as a team too, because we’ve got a really mobile forward pack this year.
“We’re all feeling really positive going into Round 1, and we feel we are more than capable of coming away with a good result.
“We’re a smaller squad in 2024, but we’re a closer group than previous years because of how much we’ve worked together as a team in pre-season.
“I believe we have already shown signs of how closely-knit we are during the first few games of the year. When people made breaks against us, everyone was getting back behind the ball and saving tries as a result, and that really proves the character in this team.”
The Raiders’ previous game saw them produce a valiant display away at Wakefield Trinity in the 1895 Cup quarter-finals, despite coming out on the wrong side of a 30-12 scoreline.
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Paul Crarey’s side held their own for large spells, away at one of the sides hotly tipped to challenge for the Betfred Championship crown this year, and Cresswell believes that game stands the squad in good stead heading into Round 1.
“We struggled with the pace of the Wakefield game at first, against a full-time team and on a fast track, but once we got into it, we adapted really well,” the full-back admitted.
“A performance like that gives us confidence heading into games against teams who are familiar with fast-paced rugby.
“If we bide our time and show patience, we’re going to get a foothold in every game this season and hopefully get the results to show for our efforts.”
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