Doncaster RLFC star says Oldham game is a must-win to keep play-off dream alive
Doncaster RLFC back-rower Tyla Hepi is under no illusions as to the task facing him and his team-mates in Sunday’s testing Betfred Championship clash against fourth-placed Oldham at Boundary Park – their final away game of the 2025 league campaign.
“If we want to finish in the play-offs then we’ve got to go there and pick up a win and then win our two remaining home games,” said the New Zealander. “It’s as simple as that. Everyone was kicking themselves after the Barrow game last weekend because it was a game we expected to win. But that’s rugby league. You have to be on your game every week in this league.
“We played some silly football at times and we’ll have to cut out the errors if we are to win. But we can do it; we’ve shown before we can do it.”
Hepi says he is enjoying his rugby and has shown up well since returning to action earlier in the season after a second ACL operation.
Impressed by recent signing Luis Johnson on his return from ACL surgery, Hepi told the Free Press: “The knee has been fine but I’ve been playing with a shoulder problem in recent weeks. But I’m managing to get through games.”
Said head coach Richard Horne: “Oldham beat London last weekend to cement their place in the play-offs and they will finish no lower than fourth and could go higher.”
Horne says he is not surprised how well Oldham have done on their return to the Championship.
“Their budget is probably two or three times bigger than ours and they brought in a lot of good players after winning last season’s League One title and recently signed full-back Ryan Brierley and prop Jack Ormondroyd from Salford
“They’ve got great players all over the pitch and are aiming to try and win a place in next season’s Super League so we know they’ll be up for the game.
“No-one is now expecting us to go there and get a result after what happened against Barrow on Sunday. So it’s a bit of a free shot for us, really. Hopefully we’ll throw some shape at them.
“But the players have got to want to do it and buy into how we want them to play. I thought defensively we were great against Barrow apart from the one slip up. But offensively we have been so far off it (in our last two games) compared with the other teams around us, it’s scary.”
Horne will be checking on the fitness of hooker Greg Burns and winger Edene Gebbie ahead of the game.