Don All Trumped

Hornets 38 - Doncaster 22

It’s anyone’s guess how Doncaster have crept into the League 1 playoffs. Gary Thornton has assembled an ugly pugnacious outfit that strove manfully to strip every last bit of daylight out of this game - aided and abetted by referee Mr Grant’s freestyle jazz interpretation of the laws.

Hornets produced a lightning start: Lewis Galbraith scooping the kick off from the sky, the ball worked swiftly right and Dave Cookson hitting a space at pace to give Hornets a 4-nil lead with just 26 seconds on the clock. From the resulting kick-off, Hornets went straight back on the attack: Jono Smith with a skittering last-tackle break, Donny’s defence scrambling to hold out.

Hornets continued to press - Samir Tahraoui going close, Corey Lee bundled into touch by the flag - but as Mr Grant began to chop the game into a jigsaw of penalties, Doncaster took advantage. On 15 minutes Foggin-Johnson outjumped Corey Lee in the in-goal to touch down. And when a Doncaster last-tackle kick was launched in  hope into a forest of defenders’ legs, it pinballed free for Sherriffe to score. Somehow, Doncaster in front 4-10 on the quarter mark.

With the penalty count escalating and the game becoming increasingly niggly, Paul Crook was hit high and late as he released a last-tackle kick. Mr Grant grudgingly held-up play while Crooky received treatment and took no action on the perpetrator to the disbelief of the home supporters.

With Doncaster now happy to feed off Mr Grant’s gullibility, they were gifted 50 metres from where they worked a tidy blind-side cut-out move to hit Hornets with an old-skool sucker try. Carr the extras and Donny comfortable at 16-4 as the game fell apart around them.

On the half hour a shuddering tackle from Matt Hadden knocked the ball loose - and sparked a 26-man affray under the visitors posts. Hornets were first to recover their composure to produce a double whammy combination that would take the sides in level at the break.

Firstly the ball worked around to send Dave Cookson in for his second. Then, with the hooter imminent, there was some confusion around whether Hornets had nominated to kick or run a penalty. Regardless, Hornets took the tap and found Chris Riley making the extra man to scoot in for his career 150th try. Crooky cool as you like as the hooter sounded: 16-all.

Hornets began the second half with visible purpose, forcing a drop-out after Chris Riley had gone close. On the resulting possession,  Jono Smith sucked in defenders and, as the last gasp of air was squeeezed from the tackle, smuggled a peach of a ball out the back for Lewis Galbraith to score. Hornets in front 20-16.

And it was Galbraith that brought the stand to its feet again four minutes later - this time tracking a 90 metre break by Welham from the opposite side of the pitch, dumping the Doncaster wing into row E metres short of the flag. Exceptional stuff.

This gave Hornets a visible lift. On 55 minutes Samir went crashing through a stretched defence to score. Then Woz Thompson hauling defenders 30 metres before slipping the ball out the back to the suporting Samir Tahraoui. Quality.

On the hour James Tilley drove the ball to the line and, with defenders flapping around him, he dropped off a neat pass for Ben Moores to score. Crooky the extras and Hornets 32-16 to the good.

Having failed to find touch with a lazy penalty, Doncaster did flicker briefly - the ball hacked into space for Jones Bishop to score in the 75th minute.

But Hornets weren’t finished. Right on the hooter Paul Crook stepped his way through a tired defence to plant the ball by the posts. His conversion giving Hornets a convincing 38-22 victory.

Whilst the first half was a scratchy mess, Hornets delivered as good a 40 minutes in the second as they have all season. Fewer penalties starved Doncaster of the ball and a much improved completion rate provided the platform for playing some incisive football.

The result guarantees Hornets at least third spot - with Barrow travelling to Toulouse next weekend the decisive fixture in determining who gets to go to the South of France later in the month for the promotion final and who gets a week off before embarking on a two game promotion bid.

And whether there’s actually an advantage to finishing third… well, that really is anyone’s guess.

Sunday's Coming: Doncaster

This looks like being an interesting weekend in League 1.

According to coach Gary Thornton, Doncaster come to Spotland on Sunday with an eye on finishing third. But a Hornets win on Sunday will deny them that, guaranteeing Killer’s side at least a home tie in the playoffs.

Doncaster's Gary Thornton describes the huge carp he lost,
legering a meatball on a size 8 hook.

With Barrow Travelling for their shot at Toulouse this weekend, a defeat there leaves the door open for Hornets to take second place - which would require a Barrow defeat and a Hornets victory in both remaining games.

But you have to wonder - contrary to the accepted meritocracy/success model in sport - whether finishing third and securing a home tie in the playoffs would be better for morale and progress than having to haul everyone back down to the South of France to be served-up as the main-course at TOXIIIC’s promotion party - and THEN having to embark on a playoff odyssey. Certainly, in a recent conversartion we had with an RFL match commissioner, he suggested (well, basically, said) that teams would be better off avoiding second place and launching their promotion bid at home from third (one game fewer, less impact on the playing squad, leas risk of injury, less disruption to the next round preparation, less hassle…)

Indeed it seems strange to us that the team that scraps its way to second effectively gets punished for its success. But whichever route you take, it’s that 2,3,4,5 playoff that really matters and, as everyone sucks in for one last push, Doncaster still have three games to play.

Having  fallen foul of the ongoing York City Knights fiasco, Donny now face three games in 8 days to sustain their playoff push. In the week when we’ve learned that ‘Zombie’ club York will be permitted the opportunity to f*ck-up everyone else’s promotion challenges, it’s looking increasingly likely that RL’s serial basket-case will tank at the end of the season. Bookie’s favourite for offering a ressurrection are temporary landlords  - and protagonists in the Knights demise - York City Football Club. A little bit like being rescued from a crocodile-infested river by cannibals…

Last time out, an injury hit Doncaster (who had just 17 fit players) pulled off a miracle comeback win against Keighley. Trailing 24-12 with 15 minutes remaining, they nicked a remarkable 26–24 victory thanks to a late, late penalty from Tom Carr - effectively consigning Cougars coach Paul March to the Job Centre.

Speaking in the (Sheffield) Star, Thornton said: “I never thought we had looked like scoring in the first 20 minutes of the half to be honest and I was worried going into the last quarter,. We weren’t creating anything and we were coming up with some poor options and it looked as though we were panicking.

“But we dug really deep in the last 20 minutes and I was proud of the lads and they showed terrific character.
I think the turning point was when we scored our third try and cut their lead to six points with fifteen minutes to go. I was reasonably confident then and in the end I thought we just about deserved to edge it.“

“… with York losing at home to Hunslet we climbed above them into fourth spot and with just three games to go it’s our position to lose. If we can get a couple of bodies back I don’t see why we can’t go to Rochdale and win…”

Doncaster have been fortunate to hang onto Hull FC’s Samoan prop Iafeta Paleaaesina on DR for the Super 8 run-in;  having played enough games to qualify for the run-in, he was given permission by his parent club to stay with the Dons. It’s also likely that both Liam Welham and Makali Aizue will make a return from injury to play at the weekend.

Hornets come into the game also hoping to have a few bodies back in commission - most notably, Chris Riley returning from a broken hand and a subsequent training injury. Certainly Killer’s side came back from the Toulouse trip with a miscelleny of knocks: Michael Ratu struggling with an abdominal injury; Jake Shoel removed with an arm injury.

Hornets are also buoyed by the securing of Josh Crowley and Jono Smith for next year.

On paper this should be an intriguing contest. Over the last 8 meetings the records couldn’t be much closer: four wins each, Hornets scoring 195 points to Doncaster’s 200; Hornets scoring 37 tries to Doncaster’s 36; Doncaster with 28 goals to Hornets’ 22. And Hornets leading 3-nil in drop goals.

You really can’t put an old-skool fag-paper betwen these sides. So - everything to play for between two acutely evenly matched sides. Just how we like it. See you Sunday.