[Wanderer]

Newcastle Thunder (Home) - Saturday 22 June 2019 12:30 : Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:19 am  

With one of the rearranged games having been rearranged again, the Dons find themselves with a fixture next weekend after all. The venue is the LD Nutrition Stadium, Featherstone and the opposition, the in-form Newcastle Thunder.

Back-to-back victories over promotion rivals Oldham and Hunslet have reignited the Dons promotion hopes and although they are currently out of the play off positions on points difference, any one of seven teams could yet win this division, with whoever finishes seventh missing out on a play off place.

As such, Saturday's fixture against fifth place Newcastle, who beat league leaders Whitehaven yesterday, presents another significant challenge.

Richard Horne seems to be getting the nucleus of a settled side together now and the recent addition of Watson Boas along with some quality from Hull would appear to have taken the performances up a notch or two.

Last Season: Doncaster 38 Newcastle 21 (Sunday 2 September 2018).
Dons Tries: Hakim Miloudi, Matty Beharrell, Jack Sanderson, Jason Tali 2, Jordan Howden, Jack Logan.
Dons Conversions: Matty Beharrell 5.

Please Note: This is a 12:30 kick off on Saturday at Featherstone.

[Wanderer]

Re: Newcastle Thunder (Home) - Saturday 22 June 2019 12:30 : Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:57 pm  

Wanderer wrote:

Richard Horne seems to be getting the nucleus of a settled side together now and the recent addition of Watson Boas along with some quality from Hull would appear to have taken the performances up a notch or two.

.... and we immediately lose one ....

Re: Newcastle Thunder (Home) - Saturday 22 June 2019 12:30 : Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:22 pm  

Wanderer wrote:

.... and we immediately lose one ....

Is that a match forecast?

Re: Newcastle Thunder (Home) - Saturday 22 June 2019 12:30 : Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:51 pm  

Wanderer wrote:

Richard Horne seems to be getting the nucleus of a settled side together now and the recent addition of Watson Boas along with some quality from Hull would appear to have taken the performances up a notch or two.

Having Jez Litten and Cameron Scott in the team has definitely helped.

There are three possible reasons why the Cameron Smith loan may have happened:

1) Hull have made him go to York (either for financial reasons or because he will be playing better class rugby) or
2) Cameron Scott wanted to go to York, or
3) Richard Horne didn't want him to play for us.

At the last fans panel meeting I raised the point that DR means we have very little control over what Hull do, but what Hull does has a critical impact on what we do. A significant number of players we could have expected to have been coming our way at the start of the season haven't. Had they done so, I have no doubt our league position would have been healthier.

There may be good reasons (from Hull's point of view) for these things happening but when they happen they leave us short of where we need to be. The Dons, as a club, need to have more control or else we will forever be going round in the same circles.

I thought the current DR arrangement, with five of the best coming from Hull, was the way forward. In theory, it's a great idea, in practice it clearly doesn't work. I believe it is time we ditched DR and built a bigger squad of players of our own; using the loan market to bring in other players if we need extra numbers.

It's time we took control of this situation as we cannot rely on Hull to help get us out of this league.

Re: Newcastle Thunder (Home) - Saturday 22 June 2019 12:30 : Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:44 pm  

Yes, everything from Hull needs to go back ...
but only if we flop.
lol

Re: Newcastle Thunder (Home) - Saturday 22 June 2019 12:30 : Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:54 pm  

Double Movement wrote:

Having Jez Litten and Cameron Scott in the team has definitely helped.

There are three possible reasons why the Cameron Smith loan may have happened:

1) Hull have made him go to York (either for financial reasons or because he will be playing better class rugby) or
2) Cameron Scott wanted to go to York, or
3) Richard Horne didn't want him to play for us.

At the last fans panel meeting I raised the point that DR means we have very little control over what Hull do, but what Hull does has a critical impact on what we do. A significant number of players we could have expected to have been coming our way at the start of the season haven't. Had they done so, I have no doubt our league position would have been healthier.

There may be good reasons (from Hull's point of view) for these things happening but when they happen they leave us short of where we need to be. The Dons, as a club, need to have more control or else we will forever be going round in the same circles.

I thought the current DR arrangement, with five of the best coming from Hull, was the way forward. In theory, it's a great idea, in practice it clearly doesn't work. I believe it is time we ditched DR and built a bigger squad of players of our own; using the loan market to bring in other players if we need extra numbers.

It's time we took control of this situation as we cannot rely on Hull to help get us out of this league.

i understand the frustration but the club need to see Cam Scott playing regularly at a higher level to gauge his development as he is off contract this year.
With the emergence of Kieran Buchanan into a fringe first team player who is also a centre the club have to look at development of the younger players who are off contract this year.
Buchanan will take his place for your next match

[Wanderer]

Re: Newcastle Thunder (Home) - Saturday 22 June 2019 12:30 : Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:05 pm  

bonaire wrote:

i understand the frustration but the club need to see Cam Scott playing regularly at a higher level to gauge his development as he is off contract this year.
With the emergence of Kieran Buchanan into a fringe first team player who is also a centre the club have to look at development of the younger players who are off contract this year.
Buchanan will take his place for your next match

That's all fine from a Hull point of view and I have no deep issue with that.

Doncaster supporters are though entitled to question the 'enhanced dual registration agreement' rolled out to us only a few short months ago.

[Wanderer]

Re: Newcastle Thunder (Home) - Saturday 22 June 2019 12:30 : Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:34 pm  

Stand-Offish wrote:

Is that a match forecast?

I would think that having moved the fixture at very short notice and then having Hull move yet another potential DR player on, it's a fixture Club Doncaster wouldn't wish to lose ...

Re: Newcastle Thunder (Home) - Saturday 22 June 2019 12:30 : Tue Jun 18, 2019 8:04 pm  

Wanderer wrote:

That's all fine from a Hull point of view and I have no deep issue with that.

Doncaster supporters are though entitled to question the 'enhanced dual registration agreement' rolled out to us only a few short months ago.

I agree but that was your management not Hull Fcs

Re: Newcastle Thunder (Home) - Saturday 22 June 2019 12:30 : Tue Jun 18, 2019 9:22 pm  

Eh?
Thought it was a agreement between the two clubs.