Greg Worthington backs Barrow to become regular play-off team

Greg Worthington is confident Barrow can compete for a play-off spot as they prepare to kick off their 2023 campaign against Toulouse on Saturday.

Worthington joined Barrow last October after calling time on his two-year spell with Halifax.

The 32-year-old centre, who helped the Panthers to consecutive third placed finishes in the Championship, admitted his decision to change clubs was not an easy one.  

“Halifax is literally 15 minutes from my home,” Worthington told Love Rugby League. “It wasn’t an easy decision.

“I think juggling semi-professional rugby and home life is tricky to navigate. But the little things, like a change in training schedule can make your home life a lot easier. 

“The nights I train with Barrow allow me to take my son to his rugby training and his gymnastics. Having that slight change in training schedule makes home life a little bit easier.”

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Barrow need to build on last year’s success, says Greg Worthington

Barrow, similarly to Halifax, enjoyed a strong season last year as they secured a fourth-placed finish.

Worthington believes the Raiders need to build on that success and aim to become regular play-off contenders in the years to come. 

“They had a really good season last year and maybe surprised a few,” he added.

“I think that moving forward, the goal for the club is to start to cement themselves regularly in those play-off spots.

“Obviously you always want to go better than your previous season, so I suppose the next step would be trying to finish third in the table. 

“But definitely to cement themselves as a regular play-off contender in the Championship and really start pushing the elites in the Championship. That’s the aim at Barrow. Building that culture of progression each year.”

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Most competitive Championship season ever?

With many teams in the competition willing to spend money and make bold recruitment decisions, the race for the play-offs may not be as clear cut as in previous seasons. 

Worthington said: “I think this year is going to be one of the most competitive Championship seasons there’s been in a long time. I think if you look at the cluster of teams that are around that top eight last year, every single team has strengthened. 

“There’s been quite a lot of quality that came down from Super League to play in the Championship. A lot of the teams have strengthened their squads. I think every Championship team also has one eye on the IMG proposals. 

“A lot of people don’t exactly know where they’re going to fit in into those plans; and everyone is putting their front foot forward and building good squads. 

“I think it’s a really exciting time for the Championship, looking at the squads right across the division. I think it will produce fantastic rugby this year and a really close competition.”

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