CHRIS THORMAN reckons York City Knights have improved enough over the last month to turn the tables on big-spending Barrow – and closing down Raiders play-maker Jamie Rooney could be key.
The Knights lost 24-20 in the Northern Rail Cup opener in Barrow in February and crashed 42-16 in the home Championship game to Nigel Wright’s men in March, when Rooney ran the show.
They go back to Craven Park for the return fixture tonight (6.30pm), and Thorman – one of five players returning to the line-up after being rested for the Challenge Cup loss to Hull KR last week – is confident they can collect a third straight league win on the bounce after victories over Toulouse and Dewsbury.
“We have improved a lot over the last month,” said the former Huddersfield captain, who is set to play at loose-forward again rather than his usual position at half-back.
“We’ve changed the game-plan a bit and we’ve worked on the stuff we should’ve been doing. Offensively, if we carry on doing that then we will score points.
“Defensively, I think, from the game in Toulouse, it was notable how much we felt like a team, with plenty of high-fives and back-slapping. During that game we created a bit of energy among ourselves and we’ve gone on from there.
“If we continue doing that, we will be a tough team to beat.”
He added: “The Northern Rail Cup tie between us could’ve gone either way, and they had two tries that should’ve been disallowed. In the second game, they had a spell of nine minutes when they scored four tries. Apart from that we were competitive for 71 minutes.
“But they’re a good team and very good offensively. Jamie Rooney gets them around and we need to put him under more pressure. We let him play in his dinner suit last time.”
Thorman believes the recruitment of half-back Anthony Thackeray and centre James Ford from Widnes has strengthened the Knights.
“I’m definitely confident with how we’ve been playing and training,” he said. “The lads from Widnes have improved the strength of the squad and all the boys are on their toes. A lot of good things are happening at the moment.”
Thorman, grateful for last week’s rest after playing all three games in nine days around Easter, has overcome a virus this week to take his place but will continue to hand over goal-kicking duties to Lee Waterman for fear of aggravating a groin problem.
Also back in the line-up after being rested are, as expected, hooker Jack Lee and winger Dave Sutton, while second-rows Rhys Clarke and Duane Straugheir also return to the 19-man squad, though Woods has not said who will make up his pack, with Ryan Esders, Matt Garside and Steve Lewis also battling for a back-row berth.
Tom Bush is fit to play despite hobbling off early against Hull KR, and he will resume at full-back.
Head coach Dave Woods admitted he faced some tricky selection dilemmas, not least keeping Bush in ahead of James Haynes, who switched from the wing to take up his preferred full-back role last week after Bush hobbled off. Omitting winger Dan Wilson was also a tough decision.
Woods said: “Tom’s played well in his last couple of games and that’s why we thought he deserved to go back in there. It’s not because James Haynes played badly – he played really well last week, except for one error (knocking-on a dropout).
“Dan Wilson is really unlucky. He was good last week and for the reserves on Thursday. But we needed a goal-kicker and Lee Waterman has been kicking pretty well.”
Half-back Gregg McNally will continue at full-back in the absence of the injured Gary Broadbent as Barrow add dual-registered pair Ben Davies, of Wigan, and prop Adam Walker, of Huddersfield, to the 17 that lost to Wigan in the cup.
Another dual-registered player, Jack Hughes, was also expected to return but was instead Wigan’s squad that took on Harlequins last night. Jamie Thackray, Martin Ostler and Liam Campbell all returned from injury last week, though Broadbent, Richard Fletcher and broken leg victim James Nixon are out.
Barrow: from McNally, Ballard, Larkin, Harrison, Backhouse, Rooney, Campbell, Thackray, Mossop, Butler, Ostler, Catic, Luisi, Gleeson, James, Knowles, Dixon.
Knights: from Bush, Haynes, Waterman, Ford, Sutton, Thackeray, Presley, Benson, Lee, Freer, Garside, Esders, Thorman. Subs: from Barlow, Stearman, Waller, Clarke, Straugheir, Lewis.
Referee: Jamie Leahy (Dewsbury).
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