Barrow Raiders Ladies vice-captain Emily Stirzaker believes the squad can be encouraged by their start to life in Group 1 of the Betfred Women’s Super League – and insists there’s more still to come.
The Raiders Ladies opened their historic debut season in the top flight with a hard-fought defeat at head coach Amanda Wilkinson’s former club Wigan Warriors in Round 1.
A home game against defending champions York Valkyrie followed, with the Raiders Ladies performing admirably in their 28-8 defeat, winning the second half by a margin of 8-0.
Having recently enjoyed a weekend off from regular-season action, Stirzaker believes it is a good opportunity for the players to reflect on a whirlwind few weeks.
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“I think the results against both Wigan and York have give us lots of confidence as a team,” she said.
“In pre-season we spoke about having the goal of doing our best and trying to just remain in the Super League now we are here – the main aim being to compete as best we can and avoid relegation at the end of the season, developing as we go, so we can be more competitive come next season.
“We also want to stay in the Super League so local girls and women have something to strive towards, and the opportunity to play for Barrow at the highest level.
“The first two rounds have shown that we are good enough to compete, and we have spoken about changing our mindset from just ‘doing our best’ to going into games with the aim and belief of winning them and not just producing a respectable score. ”
Looking ahead to this Sunday’s trip to Warrington Wolves – who were only promoted to Group 1 of the BWSL 12 months before the Raiders Ladies – Stirzaker added: “We are really excited for this fixture.
“It has been a while since we have played Warrington, and the girls have come a long way since then, so I’m excited to see how we go.
“With a good mindset and belief going into the game and a good performance, I’m hoping we can come away with our first two points of the season.”
Despite there being no league action for the Raiders Ladies last weekend, the squad travelled to Warrington for the third-ever Women’s Nines event.
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The Raiders Ladies competed against Featherstone Rovers, Cardiff Demons and Hull KR, winning two out of their three games at a sun-drenched Victoria Park.
Stirzaker scored in both victories at the Nines and says the opportunity to play in a relaxed, festival-like setting has rejuvenated the players ahead of what’s to come.
“The Nines was a great day of rugby in the sun, which gave us the opportunity to work on our one-on-one defence and attack, in terms of spotting and creating space given the reduced numbers on the same sized pitch.
“We do have a few players with niggles here and there, so it was also an opportunity for some players to rest up and reset ahead of another really big game this weekend.”
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