Re: Play Off Final: Swinton v Dons 02/10/2022 @ 2pm : Sun Oct 02, 2022 4:33 pm  

The rose tinted specs are out again but it's another year and another failure. Keighley have seen the writing on the wall as regards restructuring the league and done something about it.Club Doncaster couldn't give a monkeys putting it mildly. So it will be carry on as per usual trying to get a miracle out of mediocrity.

Re: Play Off Final: Swinton v Dons 02/10/2022 @ 2pm : Sun Oct 02, 2022 4:36 pm  

Tatty Feeld wrote:

The rose tinted specs are out again but it's another year and another failure. Keighley have seen the writing on the wall as regards restructuring the league and done something about. Club Doncaster couldn't give a monkeys putting it mildly. So it will be carry on as per usual trying to get a miracle out of mediocrity.

Whose rose tinted specs are you referring to Tatty?

Re: Play Off Final: Swinton v Dons 02/10/2022 @ 2pm : Sun Oct 02, 2022 4:48 pm  

Quote from Steve Hossack at the Free Press: Richard Horne’s men, who were in contention until Swinton’s third try in injury-time, put up a much better showing than against Workington Town at Derwent Park in last season’s final. But that will prove scant consolation as they face up to the prospect of an eighth successive season in the third tier of the British game where no ambitious club wants to find themselves at a time of great change within the sport. Not only will the defeat rob the club of some crowd-pulling derby games next season but it is also likely to see the departure of several fans’ favourites in the coming weeks and thwart plans put in place to strengthen the squad had they been promoted. https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/other-sport/doncaster-rlfc-suffer-play-off-final-heartache-for-second-successive-season-3864429 I wonder who he's got in mind for leaving?

Quote from Steve Hossack at the Free Press: Richard Horne’s men, who were in contention until Swinton’s third try in injury-time, put up a much better showing than against Workington Town at Derwent Park in last season’s final. But that will prove scant consolation as they face up to the prospect of an eighth successive season in the third tier of the British game where no ambitious club wants to find themselves at a time of great change within the sport. Not only will the defeat rob the club of some crowd-pulling derby games next season but it is also likely to see the departure of several fans’ favourites in the coming weeks and thwart plans put in place to strengthen the squad had they been promoted. https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/other-sport/doncaster-rlfc-suffer-play-off-final-heartache-for-second-successive-season-3864429 I wonder who he's got in mind for leaving?

Re: Play Off Final: Swinton v Dons 02/10/2022 @ 2pm : Sun Oct 02, 2022 6:54 pm  

Tatty Feeld wrote:

Club Doncaster couldn't give a monkeys putting it mildly. So it will be carry on as per usual trying to get a miracle out of mediocrity.

My assessment of the season and the Club Doncaster position:

1) The players gave their all and probably achieved as much as their skill levels suggest they should. Keighley and Swinton had more class in their squads.

2) Not having been a great fan of Richard Horne in the past, I think the tactics we used this season probably got the best out of the team. I just wish he'd show his face and come and acknowledge the crowd from time to time.

3) Club Doncaster would surely want the Dons to be in a higher league as the revenue streams would be far greater. Home crowds, with away fans attending, would bring in much more money, benefitting the Club Doncaster coffers.

4) Eight years of not getting out of this league suggests that the coach is not being given sufficent funds to put a team together that it better than the rest OR the coach is getting sufficient funding but isn't using it wisely.

5) If the coach isn't get enough money, this is either because Club Doncaster don't have the funds or believe we should be able to get promoted on the size of budget they supply.

6) If Club Doncaster aren't able to invest more, they should look to bring in other interested parties to play an active role in the rugby side of things.

7) It doesn't make sense that a city the size of Doncaster is in the third tier of rugby. Our aspirations should be to at least compete in the top half of the Championship or higher. The aim of 'survival' ought not be where the bar is set.

Re: Play Off Final: Swinton v Dons 02/10/2022 @ 2pm : Sun Oct 02, 2022 8:57 pm  

I for one know the wealth of our owners far outweighs the keighleys owners that's just facts, so you can eliminate all those factors by just saying the owners lack the ambition and drive to make this club a championship one. They have the money to take the dons into the championship, they have the money to invest in the rovers to be at least a league 1 side and they have the resources to get the belles back in the super league where they once was but they would prefer to go into their old age plodding along with no dramas.

Re: Play Off Final: Swinton v Dons 02/10/2022 @ 2pm : Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:50 pm  

Reticent to post this on the book of faces as I will no doubt get shot down by the happy clappers and people who state I can only have an opinion if I go to games (YAWN).

We did well to make the final, but in contrast to Swinton and The Cougars we lacked creativity, we tried to play a forwards game when we don't have to punch up front to play forwards game. Ben Johnston tried his best but he's our only real strike player who can create a bit of magic (especially when Watson is playing at 9) if they mark him out of the game we look very flat, to be honest apart from the 2 man steal in the closing stages today we managed to nullify their 7 to.

Misi has been dependable and I am sure the young lads learn a lot from him, but we do need a more dynamic back line with some pace and skill, Tali cannot do it all on his own. We have the ability on the fringes but we just choose to barge up the middle very one-dimensional and very easy to defend against. Having seen the majority of tries we've scored this year there aren't many that have been scored from long range (apart from Travis's two in recent weeks).

I said last year Horne has taken them as far as he can now, two finals two losses time for some fresh ideas, Get Matty, Sweeting and Peltier back in the side, try to keep the spine of the time from this year and add some flair and get a coach who plays to it rather than trying to win a battle of attrition in the middle.

Just to reiterate the lads did well today, they tried, but they were outclassed and out-thought and when the chips were down didn't really have any "ace in the hole" to try to pull the points back.

Re: Play Off Final: Swinton v Dons 02/10/2022 @ 2pm : Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:05 pm  

The richard horne experiment hasn't worked, he's been given ample time but I've not seen anything that makes me believe he's an up and coming coach in the game, the lack of passion and emotion doesn't sit right with me. Swinton's coach is an absolute gobshite of the highest order but he was running in every ball, tackling and verbal throughout the 80 mins on the sideline where as ours didn't move from the corner of the stand! Good players don't always make good coaches and for me he has to go

Re: Play Off Final: Swinton v Dons 02/10/2022 @ 2pm : Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:07 pm  

Horne has consistantly failed to achived what he has been tasked with - time for some new ideas.

Re: Play Off Final: Swinton v Dons 02/10/2022 @ 2pm : Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:21 pm  

Let's face it we are playing in a numpty division and have done since 2015.
Only half a dozen decent teams in it and we came 4th out of those six...
No need for analysis....we continually fail, lose our best and have to start again and by the time they have got half decent the season is over.
We are Steptoe and Son, hoping for success on too little outlay.
Well let them that are happy with it continue with it........

Re: Play Off Final: Swinton v Dons 02/10/2022 @ 2pm : Mon Oct 03, 2022 7:32 am  

Best players to be head hunted, CEO says we would have kept them had we got promoted, season tickets at give away prices. RH and CH reach for the Carl Harrison winter sale catalogue. All is forgiven at the back slappers end of season do where the club congratulate each other for another successful season and players who are leaving smile sheepishly for the camera.

And the mysterious Ethan Wade O'Gorman has posted that this team is going places, well some of the players will be - Sheffield, Dewsbury, Leeds. If we manage to hang onto Watson then I'll be one smacked gob.

Have a good Winter folks and try and keep warm.