Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey admits his side were well short of their usual standards as they fell to a 26-6 defeat to London Broncos on Sunday.
The Raiders found themselves 20-0 down at half-time, and although Rio Corkill dived over to reduce the deficit early in the second half, the Broncos stretched their lead on the hour mark to re-establish a 20-point lead which they showed no signs of giving up.
Crarey’s side remain out of the relegation places, courtesy of Keighley Cougars’ defeat at Swinton Lions, as attention turns to a crucial Cumbrian derby against Whitehaven on Monday 21 August.
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Speaking post-match, he said: “All credit to London, I think they played really well. I thought we were off the pace, a little lethargic.
“[That was] probably a hangover from Monday night, but you’ve got to back it up with a performance. I thought we were clunky in attack and didn’t warrant any field position. Our completion was good, but it was all coming a metre off our goal-line.
“Corey Norman and Dean Whare were really good for them and they played some sweet football.
“We didn’t cause them any problems. They were pretty comfortable, and we’ve got to make teams like that uncomfortable like we did at Bradford.
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“Whether it’s an energy thing from Bradford, I don’t know.”
Defeat also came at a cost for the Raiders, whose injury list worsened following their Round 21 outing.
Josh Wood will be assessed after suffering a leg injury midway through the first half, while Greg Worthington (back) and Harvey Makin (shoulder) were also forced to miss some of the action at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium.
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