Barrow Raiders can take plenty of positives after pushing promotion-chasing Featherstone Rovers all the way last weekend, says full-back Luke Cresswell.
On home soil, the Raiders produced a determined display but fell just short against a side boasting 20 wins from their 24 league matches this season – a record bettered only by table-topping Leigh Centurions.
Despite suffering a 34-24 defeat to Rovers at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium, Cresswell insists the squad should remain upbeat about the manner of their performance.
“We knew it was going to be a big challenge, but we seemed to handle it well,” he said. “After the game, we were probably frustrated that we didn’t get the win.
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“Everyone put 100% in, and there are lots of positives that we can take into the next one.
“A couple of years ago, we were probably going into these games expecting to get beat because there was such a difference between the two teams, but this year we seem to be adapting to every situation, every game, and doing our best.”
It has been a difficult run of fixtures in August for the Raiders, who have already faced three of the sides joining them in the end-of-season play-offs.
And with the battle for position inside the top six looking like it will continue until the very last round of fixtures, Cresswell is hoping to see his side build further momentum, starting with Saturday’s trip to Newcastle Thunder.
“They’re all top-end teams, and we’re either beating them or running them close, which stands us in good stead for the play-offs,” the 27-year-old said.
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“Getting good wins against teams around us gives us a lot of confidence.”
On their trip to Newcastle, he added: “They’re a full-time team, so we’ve got to go with a lot of caution.
“We know that we need to play at our best and have systems which can trouble anyone, but we understand that they have a lot of quality in the team.
“It’s all about being positive and building momentum. Paul [Crarey] is very clear in how he wants us to play, and it’s our job to put that into practice and look to improve week-on-week.”
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