Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey admits his players were architects of their own downfall after a difficult Sunday afternoon in West Yorkshire.
The Raiders were beaten 48-20 by Halifax Panthers in Round 16 of the Betfred Championship, having led 16-0 midway through the first half.
Defeat also came at a cost as Ben Evans and Ellis Gillam were forced off through injury, while a Jarrod Sammut red card for dissent on the stroke of half-time swung the game in the Panthers’ favour.
“It made the half-time team talk a little bit harder when Jarrod got sent off,” Crarey said post-match.
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“I thought it would have been yellow, but it was a straight red. That put us under the pump, and we lost Ben Evans as well. He’s gone straight to hospital, and we lost Ellis Gillam in the first few minutes with a bad calf injury.
“We had one middle rotation, with Ellis Archer and Nathan Mossop on the bench, so it was always going to be a tough ask.
“At half-time, we spoke about being conservative and field position being key, because with the extra man they’ve got great shape.
“I’m proud of the effort we put in, but I felt we were victims of our own downfall, in the fact that it was very difficult to control [the game] with 12 men.
“We still fought to the end, we never stopped playing. The effort was always there.”
Crarey also hinted at bringing in reinforcements ahead of next Sunday’s clash with Batley Bulldogs.
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Evans and Gillam will be assessed to determine the extent of their injuries, while Anton Iaria has also left the club with immediate effect to return to Australia and be with his young family.
“That [the Halifax defeat] has gone, and we’ve got to try and bring in some players for a tough encounter with Batley,” the Raiders head coach added.
“We’re low on troops, so we’ve got to get out there and bring some middles in.”
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