Doncaster RLFC: Thornton to identify areas for improvement after Hull defeat

Dons boss Gary Thornton will be addressing the areas his charges need to work on this week following Sunday's 46-12 defeat against Hull FC in their opening pre-season fixture.
Photo: Rob TerracePhoto: Rob Terrace
Photo: Rob Terrace

“They blew us away in the first 20 minutes,” said Thornton.

“But when I looked at their team I knew that could happen given the number of experienced players we had missing.

“As I pointed out before the game, we’d also only managed three outdoor sessions with the ball.”

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Thornton claimed it could have been closer than 30-0 at the break had his side taken the couple of chances to come their way.

But he felt the Dons gave a better account of themselves in the second half.

“I didn’t want it to be a massive score and I didn’t want them to run away with the game in the second half, which, fortunately they didn’t,” he said.

“We played some good rugby at times and that is the sort of rugby I want us to play next season.”

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Hull boss Lee Radford, who said the run-out was exactly what he wanted, also felt that the Dons raised their game after the break.

“They got back into it In the second period, which was disappointing for us but obviously good for Doncaster,” he said.

“I thought they had some good performers out there. Connor Scott had a real go and Zac Brehan also turned up.

“I know Doncaster had some experienced players, such as Makali Aizue missing, and hopefully they can move forward next season when everyone is fit.”