Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey admits his players lacked composure at crucial times during their 12-6 defeat to Batley Bulldogs.
Down on bodies before the match, the Raiders put in a display full of effort and desire but came up just short against a side pushing for a play-off spot, come the end of the season.
Despite losing Sam Brooks (ankle), Nathan Mossop (knee) and Greg Worthington (finger) during the match, Crarey’s men fought until the end but were met with a sucker-punch as Batley scored the match-winning try in the final minute.
“We were definitely up against it, against a very good Batley side,” Crarey said post-match.
TICKETS: Love Barrow Aid 2023
“I thought we were good for our lead and then they came back into it and it was a grind.
“With 10 minutes to go, we had a great opportunity for Josh Wood to put his centre/winger in, but he came back inside and the chance was gone.
“We panicked a little bit, kicking it twice on play three on a cross-field kick and giving them a 20m restart.
“Then we went for a drop-goal on play three from 40m out when we still had three plays left and three minutes on the clock. From that, they had a 20m restart, we gave a penalty away and they crashed over with a minute to go.
“That’s what they do. They’re the masters of grind, but that game was ours to win.
“It was heartbreaking that we lost it right at the death. It showed the character of our team but we needed a little bit more composure.”
SIGN UP: Raiders Goldrush Lottery
Despite the result, Crarey was full of praise for Harvey Makin and Tom Wilkinson, who played big minutes on debut.
“They were outstanding for us, showed loads of desire,” he added.
“They’ll be good in a few weeks, but we’re down on bodies again.”
Get kitted out in the latest Raiders merchandise by visiting our club shop!