Crusaders sent out message – Griffiths

North Wales coach Clive Griffiths believes his side sent out a message last weekend, despite their agonising defeat at home to Barrow.

They travel to London Skolars this weekend, but must wait on a fitness test for winger Kriss Wilkes on Friday, while Anthony Morrison could return from a wrist injury.

Last week, Crusaders went down 26-24 against Barrow Raiders after leading 20-4 at half time.

Coach Clive Griffiths said: “There were mixed feelings, but I was very proud of the effort the boys put in.

“We ran Barrow close when nobody gave us a prayer. We got a point, we’re on the board and we’re off the big polo mint.”

He added: “We got ourselves in a good position, but then contrived to put ourselves in a bad position. We’re disappointed and frustrated, but these things may happen until we really settle down as a team that knows each other.

“We’re only 12 weeks old, so we’ve got to be patient. I still think we sent a message out that if we’ve everyone healthy, we’ll be a competitive force.”

On Skolars, Griffiths added: “They’ve got some capable players in Rob Thomas, Lamont Bryan and some good half-backs. I’ve warned the boys that it will be physical down the middle.

“London will look at this as an opportunity to kickstart their season and get some point on the board. We’ve got to show that we can learn from our mistakes.”