Barrow has placed an emphasis on developing young talent. Post-match, he referenced the DiSE programme,, external which started in 2019 to provide a pathway for young players to develop after leaving high school.
In his 17-player squad to face Australia, he named 11 players aged 23 or under – including the all-Wigan half-back pairing of Isabel Rowe and Jenna Foubister, both 19.
“We are here to compete, but with a group like this we are hopefully bleeding them in for the 2030 World Cup,” Barrow added.
“There are a lot of 19, 20 and 21-year-olds in our group, who are going to gain a load of experience from this.
“Our aim is to give them every experience we can to make them better for the future.”
In contrast, Jess Skinner’s Australia only had two players below the age of 25 in their 17 and had an average age of almost 28.
And the greater experience, power and pace of the seasoned professionals told against England, who only fielded three NRLW players, and have a squad largely comprised of players who have full-time occupations away from the sport.
“When they get on a roll like that I don’t think any team in the world can compete with them,” Barrow added. “They are just too quick, too skilful and too fast for our girls at that stage.
“They don’t face that week in, week out. So when it comes at them quickly, it can be a shock to the system but they will learn from it. I thought they competed and tried in the second half but we never had the ball.”
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