A firm examination on home soil is expected this Sunday as promotion contenders Featherstone Rovers visit Barrow Raiders in the Betfred Championship. 

Beaten twice by Rovers already this season, Paul Crarey’s Raiders will be keen to avenge those losses and potentially climb up to fourth in the league table if other results go their way. 

And with two away games and the Summer Bash in recent weeks, a sizeable crowd is expected as the Raiders return home for the first time since July 24. 

The Opposition

Currently second in the league table, Brian McDermott’s side will be keen to consolidate their position and ensure they are not caught by third-placed Halifax Panthers.

With the Panthers five points behind and league leaders Leigh Centurions five points ahead of them, it seems unlikely that Rovers’ position in the league will change, with just four rounds of the regular season remaining. 

The visitors arrive in Cumbria fresh from a 72-6 mauling of already-relegated Dewsbury Rams, with versatile back Craig Hall – the competition’s second-highest points scorer in 2022 – amassing a personal tally of 30 points.

With former NRL star Joey Leilua, experienced half-back Johnathon Ford, former Hull FC, Warrington Wolves and Wakefield Trinity winger Tom Lineham and ex-Raiders loanee Sam Eseh also available to call upon within the squad, Rovers have a number of strike players who will be keen to silence the home crowd this weekend. 

Paul Crarey preview

We spoke with Raiders boss Paul Crarey ahead of Sunday’s game. 

Jake Carter preview

Barrow Raiders will continue to play without fear as they prepare to host Featherstone Rovers this weekend, says half-back Jake Carter.

The Raiders have embraced a difficult recent run of fixtures, recording five successive victories in July before putting in a spirited display against runaway league leaders Leigh Centurions away from home and defeating play-off rivals Batley Bulldogs on the road. 

“Regardless of who we come up against at the moment, we don’t fear anyone,” Carter said. “We pushed Leigh close for quite a while, and anyone that we come up against we know that we’ll have a real go. 

“We are shocking quite a lot of teams, and quite a lot of them are finally starting to take us seriously and realising the sort of threat that we have as a squad.”

Read more here!

Match Information

Sunday’s fixture at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium kicks off at 3:00pm. Match tickets are priced as follows:

Online ticket prices – 

  • Adults: £15
  • Concessions: £11
  • Juniors: Free

Turnstile prices – 

  • Adults: £17
  • Concessions: £12
  • Juniors: Free

Buy your tickets for Sunday’s clash with Featherstone Rovers!