Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey admits his side left themselves with too much to do in the second half against Halifax Panthers, but says he is proud of their overall display.
In a rematch of last weekend’s Betfred Championship clash, a strong first half showing proved enough for the Panthers as they withstood a late Raiders fightback to run out 24-18 winners and book their place in the next round.
Tries in the final 10 minutes from Rio Corkill and Danny Langtree set up an exciting finish at the Shay, but there wasn’t enough time for Paul Crarey’s side to complete a dramatic turnaround.
Reflecting on the result, Crarey said: “”From giving three penalties away in the whole game last week to giving eight in the first half [today], it’s a bit frustrating. It left us with too much to do.
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“Full credit to our fellas for digging in. We had a little chat about tidying ourselves up in the second half and ignoring all the outside influence, like refereeing decisions, and trying to work hard as a group.
“We came up with a great second half performance, and I’m so proud of the lads.
“It could’ve been a blow-out, but in the end it was a six-point ball game and I thought we were the better of the two sides in the second half.”
Crarey also pointed to the yellow card shown to Josh Wood as a turning point in the match, with Halifax scoring a converted try during his time off the field as they made their numerical advantage count shortly before half-time.
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“Some of the decisions were a bit strange to say the least,” Crarey added.
“I can’t go into detail without getting in trouble, but a couple of decisions went against us.
“I think Josh Wood’s tackle was immense, and it was a game-changer when they sin-binned him for that 10-minute spell.”
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