Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey says Sunday’s Betfred Challenge Cup sixth round tie against Huddersfield Giants is testament to the hard work being done at the club.
The Raiders remain unbeaten in 2022 and have picked up some notable results along the way, including a thrilling 34-24 victory away at Widnes Vikings less than three weeks ago, in front of the Premier Sports cameras.
Sunday’s cup clash at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium will be televised by the BBC, with a place in the quarter-finals of the competition up for grabs.
Crarey insists the early-season form of his side means they fully merit the opportunity to compete with the best teams in the country.
“It’s going to be a big day,” he said. “There’s going to be a big camera crew and they’re going to make a big show of it.
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“That’s testament to our boys and how well we’ve played up to now. We’re unbeaten in the league, we went to Widnes and won; [we’ve only done that] three times in 50-odd years.
“We’ve got through by playing really exciting rugby. Some of our tries are from 70 or 80m out.”
Despite their positive results since the turn of the year, Crarey knows it will no mean feat going head-to-head with a side boasting four wins from their six Super League matches so far this season.
“It’s going to be a tough ask against one of the form teams in Super League,” he said.
“Ian Watson texted me to say how well we played on Premier Sports [against Widnes]; he said that we were outstanding. He’s an astute coach and will leave no stone unturned in his preparation for us.
“They [Huddersfield] are a good side, and we’ve got to be on our mettle even to get anywhere near them and compete with them.”
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