The battle is hotting up at the wrong end of the Championship table with clubs battling to avoid the drop.
Barrow Raiders are right in the thick of it and need to win their home games to give them a fighting chance of staying up.
They are back at home on Sunday when Bradford Bulls visit the Northern Competitions Stadium when the Raiders will be looking to back-up the 8-6 win over Sheffeield Eagles two weeks ago.
The Raiders have seen an improvement in their most recent outings, beating Sheffield Eagles before running Doncaster close in a narrow 37-30 away defeat last week to the Dons.
Standing in their way this Sunday is Bradford Bulls who currently sit 4th place in the table, and they will be looking to solidify their spot in the playoffs by completing the double over Paul Crarey’s men after their recent 36-24 victory at Odsal in June.
Prior to this clash, Barrow Ladies will take to the stage against the current Women’s Super League Leaders and Challenge Cup winners St Helens, which kicks off the first of two games at the Northern Competitions Stadium.
Jamie Pye goes straight into contention to feature this weekend after joining the Raiders on loan until the end of the season from Salford Red Devils.
The highly-rated 21-year-old prop signed his first professional contract with the Red Devils last month, having trained with the Betfred Super League side for several months prior.
To bolster his game time ahead of the 2025 season, the powerful front-rower, who stands at 6ft4in, will join up with Paul Crarey’s squad for the final 10 games of the Betfred Championship season.
Pye first broke through at St Helens and was part of their youth setup. He was a key figure in the side that reached the Academy Grand Final in 2019.
He also spent time with England’s academy in 2020 and was selected for that year’s tour of Australia, which was unfortunately cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On joining the club, Pye said: “I’m over the moon to get this opportunity to join Barrow.
“I’ve been asking Paul Rowley a lot recently if I can get out on loan. To finally get the deal done, I can’t wait to get started.
“It’s the step for my career I’ve not made yet. I’m eager to get my senior debut boxed off, and ultimately I want to improve myself as a player by playing against other senior players with a lot of experience.”
Crarey said: “We are pleased to welcome Jamie Pye into the Raiders family for the remainder of the season.
“Jamie is an outstanding young prospect and comes with big wraps from Paul Rowley and John Fieldhouse from Salford.”
Max Clarke, Finn Dutton-Rosconie, Adam Jackson and Ryan Johnston all drop out from the 21-man squad this Sunday.
In their absence, Wigan Warriors dual-registration forward Ryan Brown returns alongside Kavan Rothwell and Finn McMillan.
Bradford boss Eamon O’Carroll has named his 20-man squad with ex-Barrow half-back Jarrad Sammut included after his loan move from Workington Town following a spell working abroad.
Another loanee Jack Smith, from Leeds Rhinos, is named and is poised to make his debut in place of Liam Tindall, who has returned to parent club Hull FC for treatment on a shoulder injury sustained in last week’s defeat at Widnes.
Jayden Okunbor has been granted visa clearance and could make his return to action.
The Bulls are still without 12 first team players – Joe Arundel, Lee Gaskell, Jordan Baldwinson, Ebon Scurr, Chester Butler, Michael Lawrence, Daniel Smith, Billy Jowitt, Jayden Myers (failed HIA) and Will Oakes. They are all missing due to respective injuries while Eribe Doro and Jorge Taufua are currently serving suspensions.
The Barrow squad is: Luke Broadbent, Ryan Brown, Andrew Bulman, Brett Carter, Max Clarke, Matt Costello, Luke Cresswell, Ellis Gillam, Delaine Gittens-Bedward, James Greenwood, Finn McMillan, Jamie Pye, Kevan Rothwell, Ryan Shaw, Razor Silva, Aaron Smith, Shane Toal, Brad Walker, Tom Walker, Tom Wilkinson, Josh Wood.
Bradford squad: Keven Appo, Finley Balback, Logan Bayliss, John Davies, Zach Fishwick, Zac Fulton, Kieran Gill, Sam Hallas, Tom Holmes, Max Lehmann, Jordan Lilley, Nathan Mason, Dan Okoro, Jayden Okunbor, Tyran Ott, Franklin Pele, Eliot Peposhi, Jarrod Sammut, Jack Smith, Mitch Souter.
