Story of the game as Doncaster RLFC beat North Wales Crusaders to seal promotion

It proved to be a case of third time lucky for Richard Horne’s men, beaten in the previous two play-off finals at Workington and Swinton, as they put home advantage to good use to end an eight-year spell in the league’s bottom division.

Beaten just once at home this season, the Dons ultimately proved too strong for a spirited Crusaders side which had pulled off three away wins against the odds to reach their first final after finishing sixth after a generally disappointing campaign.

It wasn’t a vintage display by the Dons who have produced a number of eye-catching performances this season, but that didn’t matter to the bulk of the club’s biggest crowd of the season because they got the result that they wanted.

Although their attack only rarely fired on all cylinders the club’s coaching staff can have few complaints about the quality of their defensive work and the Dons came close to keeping a fourth clean sheet in recent weeks.

The Dons broke the deadlock on 14 minutes after a tense opening to the game.

They moved the ball along the line to the left after prop Brad Knowles, who was the pick of the Doncaster forwards, had been held just short with former Hull FC and Castleford Super League star Mahe Fonua maintaining his record of scoring in every game he has played for the Dons when twisting out of a tackle close to the line.

Connor Robinson, the top goal-kicker in the league this season, added the extras to give his side a 6-0 lead.

There would have been a second Doncaster try three minutes later had winger Bureta Faraimo, who was making his first and only appearance for the club, held on to Fonua’s tip pass 30m out.

As the game started to open up the Dons went close again before Robinson kicked an easy penalty to open up an 8-0 lead.

Crusaders looked all set to score after they latched on to a loose ball in midfield but a try-saving tackle by Robinson 20m out to denied young stand-off Leon Hayes, who recently made his Super League debut for parent club Warrington Wolves against defending champions St Helens when standing in for England captain George Williams, after he had beaten a couple of defenders.

Crusaders finished the half on top and the Dons were relieved to hear the hooter blow after being forced into some desperate defence to deny several players including Hayes.

Crusaders started the second half as they had ended the first with several players being held just short during a sustained spell of pressure in the Doncaster 20.

The game remained in the balance until Robinson, as he has done so often this season, dummied his way into space on the edge of the Crusaders 20 and found loose-forward Loui McConnell up in support and he touched down at the side of the posts to give the half-back an easy conversion to make it 14-0.

Just when it looked as though it was ‘game over’ scrum-half Toby Hughes touched down from a kick out wide for a 72nd minute try converted by Hayes.

But the Dons dashed any comeback hopes that Crusaders, who have finished strongly in all their play-off games, might have entertained when full-back Josh Guzdek capped a solid performance when sending skipper Sam Smeaton racing over for his 21st try of the season.

Robinson’s conversion hit the far post.

Dons: Guzdek, Halliday, Hey, Fonua, Faraimo, Johnston, Robinson, Knowles, G Burns, Vete, Smeaton, Ferres, McConnell. Subs: Foster, Holdstock, James, Boas.

North Wales Crusaders: Abel, Hughes-Lynch, Oakley, Taylor, Reid, Hayes, Hughes, Houghton, J Burns, Barratt, Ellis, Fletcher, Forster. Subs: Hazzard, Andrade, Costello, Rainford.