Talking Sport Now & Then: Looking back to when Doncaster RLFC stunned the rugby league world

The Dons stunned the rugby league world 17 years ago this month when announcing that they had appointed the legendary Ellery Hanley MBE as their new team boss.

Rated by many top pundits as one of the greatest players ever to play the game in the UK, Ellery coached Great Britain and steered St Helens to the Super League title after hanging up his boots, but had not featured as a first-team coach for several years.

My immediate thoughts at the time was that Ellery could be the man to get more bums on seats given his profile and I certainly felt that he could do a lot for the club on the commercial side - although I didn’t know then, and still don’t know now, whether that was part of his contract or whether his duties were just rugby-related.

Although I had no doubts that Ellery would bring about an improvement in playing standards and would bring in players other people in his position wouldn’t be able to do, I did have my concerns on a personal level given that he had a reputation of not enjoying working with the media.

But due to the fact that I’d always enjoyed a good working relationship with the rugby coaches I’d worked with over the years, be that in league or union, I was optimistic that would be the same with Ellery.

Sadly, that didn’t happen and he always kept his guard up with the local media. He was also one of only two coaches in the many years I’ve covered the club who didn’t allow me to travel on the team coach. Looking back I don’t think he went out of his way to be unhelpful. I just think he was a very private person and certainly single-minded and focused.

I don’t think he perhaps realised that in a town which isn’t a rugby league stronghold, the Dons needed all the publicity they could get.

Post-match he would give his opinion on the game, and to be fair I rarely disagreed with what he said, but he didn’t like any interruptions and would rarely take any questions afterwards. He was also virtually impossible to get hold of during the week for injury updates and match previews and but for his number two Tony Miller stepping in the Dons wouldn’t have enjoyed much coverage.

Having said that we never fell out and he was never anything but courteous, and I was sorry to see him leave at the end of the season – though his decision to tell his players ahead of their successful League Two play-off final at Warrington did seem strange to a lot of people.

I think his decision to leave the club probably had a lot to do with the fact that Craig Harrison, the ‘money man’ at the club at the time and the man responsible for bringing him to the club, had indicated that he was pulling out.

* It is always good to have a catch-up with people I have reported on or interviewed over the years so I pleased that Dave Scully – one of the best rugby union players the city has produced - came across to where my wife and I were sat at a recent fund-raising event in Sprotbrough for a quick chat.

The former England B rugby union international and World Cup winning sevens player, started his career at Wheatley Hills Rugby Union Club, who have produced several other players to have gone on to bigger and better things including the likes of Andy Clarke and Neil Turner, who both played in top-flight rugby league as well as for the Dons.

A speedy and creative scrum-half, Dave moved on to Wakefield, who were one of the big clubs in the county at the time and played for several other big clubs before enjoying several seasons with Doncaster Knights. He is now into running.

Wheatley have not enjoyed the best of fortunes on the playing field in recent years, during a time when they have made huge strides off it in terms of facilities, but booked their place in the final of the Yorkshire Silver Trophy late last month so hopefully better times are around the corner.

*It was disappointing for all concerned that the city’s Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin, who had been due to present some awards, couldn’t attend last Friday’s Doncaster Athletic Club’s dinner/presentation night at the Eco-Power Stadium.

I’ve never met Beth and had looked forward to having a chat on the night as we were both due to sit on the same VIP table alongside chairman Kev Lincoln and fellow guest Terry Bailey, who shared some of the presentations with me.

It was pleasing to see so many young people at the event, which attracted around 170 guests, and it reinforced my view that the club has been one of the city’s sporting success stories since the former Doncaster Plant Works and Stainforth clubs amalgamated around 20 years ago in order to boost the chances of a new stadium.

It is not always easy for clubs to amalgamate and it is to the credit of both sets of officials and members that that there was a smooth transition which served to set the scene for the success they have enjoyed since, both on and off the track.

*Doncaster Rovers made hard work of beating a spirited Kettering Town side in Sunday’s televised FA Cup tie and even allowing for the conditions they won’t have impressed many people watching in the first half. Thankfully, things improved after the break but they are clearly not firing on all cylinders in attack at this moment in time.

Hopefully, they can get back on track in time for the crucial festive period and the subsequent FA Cup third round tie.