Doncaster RLFC gear up for thrills and spills of play-offs

The climax to the Betfred League One promotion campaign looks set to be equally as dramatic as that of BBC political thriller Bodyguard.
Richard HorneRichard Horne
Richard Horne

The play-off semi-finals this weekend have produced two intriguing ties both of which could go either way, as could the final itself a week later.

Third-placed Doncaster RLFC take on fourth-placed Workington Town with the winners of the Bradford-Oldham tie awaiting the winners.

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'I was happy with the result on Sunday but that is only half the job done,' said Dons head coach Richard Horne reflecting on the 44-32 '˜dress rehearsal' win over Town.

'We wanted to win the game to keep the momentum going but we also wanted to hold a few cards back. Hopefully we did that but we won't know until Sunday.

'We didn't learn much about them that we didn't already know '“ though several old heads either didn't play or started on the bench.

'They are a big physical side and when they get on the front foot they are very hard to stop, particularly when they get a quick play-the-ball close to the line as we saw in the build up to their last try by (prop) Fuifui Moimoi.

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'I thought we completed (our sets) really high in the first half, which always gives you a chance in games, and on the back of that we scored some really well-structured tries.

'It looked at one stage as though we were going to win by more than we actually did but there were a few boys who had to played some big minutes due to knocks.

'I thought the halves (who played together for the first time in the absence of Jordan Howden) linked up well and I'll have some tough decisions to make in terms of selection. Having said that I'd rather be in that predicament than not having any halves to select from.

'The boys are working hard in training and doing everything I ask of them. Everyone knows what their job is and what their role is.'