Shane Toal: It’s time to step up

Barrow Raiders outside back Shane Toal says his side cannot dwell on last Sunday’s defeat to Sheffield Eagles as they look to stave off relegation.

Down on numbers in recent weeks, the Raiders have lost their last three league matches and remain embroiled in a battle to preserve their Betfred Championship status.

This Sunday sees league leaders Featherstone Rovers visit the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium, as part of a Barrow-Featherstone double-header which will also see Barrow Ladies take on Featherstone Women earlier in the day (12pm kick-off).

Toal, one of the senior figures within the group, knows the Raiders must take things one week at a time and not look too far ahead as they bid to turn their fortunes around.

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“Obviously as a team we weren’t happy with the outcome of the Sheffield game, especially after they had a man sent off,” he said.

“We don’t have any time to dwell too much on that performance. We will do a video review and focus on picking the parts that we can improve on going into this week.

“After losing three games on the bounce, we need to focus on putting an 80-minute performance in and try to right our wrongs from the last few weeks.”

With Featherstone flying high in the league, it promises to be a big challenge for Paul Crarey’s depleted squad this weekend.

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However, with several younger players in and around the 21-man squad and even more training with the first team in recent weeks, Toal believes the next few games are an opportunity for some of the club’s fringe players to stake a claim for a more permanent starring role.

And with nine rounds still remaining, he insists it is all still to play for as a cluster of teams look to avoid relegation.

“We can’t seem to go a game without picking up a couple of injuries at the moment, but this gives opportunities to lads who want to step up and show why they should playing,” the winger said.

“It is very close at the bottom and there’s still quite a lot of rugby to play, so it’s important we continue to work hard and try and build a bit of momentum going into the last couple of months of the season.”