My head hurt this morning, but I feel the hangover was well worth it. I'm bursting with pride, more than I ever thought I could have. I'll be the first to admit that I was absolutely bricking it yesterday before the game, but this more than proves that I was wrong to doubt it.

Well done to all at Donny.

Without wishing to rain on your parade, are Donny officially the CC1 champions ? The only reason I ask is that in February the RFL issued a statement regarding CC1 for 2012 which said.... [iTo determine the Champions of the Co-operative Championship One season, there will be a top six play-off at the end of the campaign with the winners of the Grand Final deemed as champions [/i Have I missed a subsequent announcement ? www.therfl.co.uk/news/article/24 ... -promotion Personally I think you should be deemed the champions, but the RFL statement says otherwise ?

Without wishing to rain on your parade, are Donny officially the CC1 champions ? The only reason I ask is that in February the RFL issued a statement regarding CC1 for 2012 which said.... [iTo determine the Champions of the Co-operative Championship One season, there will be a top six play-off at the end of the campaign with the winners of the Grand Final deemed as champions [/i Have I missed a subsequent announcement ? www.therfl.co.uk/news/article/24 ... -promotion Personally I think you should be deemed the champions, but the RFL statement says otherwise ?

RFL Chief Executive Nigel Wood has congratulated Doncaster on their success in winning the 2012 Co-operative Championship One title.

[sizeDoncaster were confirmed as champions[/size following their 48-8 victory over London Skolars this afternoon, an achievement which secures their place in the Championship for 2013.

“On behalf of everyone at the RFL I would like to congratulate Doncaster on their fine achievement, which is reward for a lot of hard work by everyone at the club,” said Wood.

“Doncaster should be justifiably proud of winning a first league title in their 61-year history and I am sure they will celebrate their success long and hard before turning their attentions to preparing for life as a Championship club.”

50k says we are!!!! That will do for me..

PS all those clubs praising our efforts is very much appreciated and shows the huge difference between RL and Footy..

I think a Workington supporter is trying to clutch at straws there.

No I'm not. Perhaps you missed the bit where I said that IMO Doncaster should be named champions. My problem is with the RFL not Doncaster.

And you are right to have a gripe with the RFL. The franchise system dampens the kudos/prestige/meaning of winning anything in Rugby League. So does the play-off system. So does the constant reconfiguring of the lower leagues. That's not to mention the 4 team promotion debacle this season.

The lower league teams generally need more games at a consistent level of competition (for gate money amongst other things). This deal where the winners get all of the prize money is also a bit daft to be honest.

All of this is partly the result of the expansionist regime (which I support in general). But teams like the Skolars, Welsh clubs, need something meaningful to play for on a regular basis and not fast tracking. At the moment they don't realistically have this because a 'traditional' club will win the lower leagues 9/10 (and apparently get all the prize money).

but these clubs had 'something meaningful to play for' that being the same as Donny etc and that being, good enough to win promotion - the table doesn't lie over the season - Donny is probably a 'traditional' club but who have never had success like this so bang goes your theory - they have got to the top of the table, whether you want to call them 'champions' or not with good management, excellent coaching, good performances and great backing from the faithful fans - Donny have shown that that things can be turned around just like Leigh did a few years back
The lower league teams will get more games at a 'consistent level' which will hopefully see many of the one-sided games diminish
Give the system time to work, or not and then judge maybe ?

meanwhile give praise where it's due...

OK. I lost count of the amount of cliches in that post to be honest. You are also countering an argument I never made (that a non 'traditional' club couldn't win one of the lower leagues: Didn't Gateshead win the league a few years back?)

If you think the way the leagues have been structured and changed over the last 10 years has added meaning to winning a competition then make your case...

If you think the lower league clubs get enough competitive first team fixtures then make your case...

If you think Skolars and the Welsh clubs will be regularly competing for something meaningful over the next 20 years then make your case...

For mine, the RFL are damned if they do. That's my point. I don't honestly believe this will be the last time the leagues are reconfigured in the near future. They should stop trying to micro-manage the leagues to fit what would be better geographically.

In the long run a consistent league structure is the only way to build expansion teams.

Oh and on your point about Doncaster never seeing success. It could be argued that over the last 12/13 years we have in fact been a relatively successful team. Challenge cup 1/4 finals. Regularly competing in second league play-offs, puffers cup final, two promotions, south Yorkshire cup .... the list goes on.

I would agree with Sandbag that in the scheme of the lower leagues - our recent past (albeit boom and bust) has actually been more suucessful than the majority of those in our league and some of those above.

The fact that we have also played in the top flight at one point on our own merit is something that a large percentage of the clubs in our league and above have yet to do...

The likes of the Welsh and Gateshead clubs were essentially created for SL purposes. London Skolars are not a traditional club as London Broncos were in esscence Fulham (who always did ok prior at similar level to ourselves).

I think one of the points Sandbag was making was that the geography and number of games being played outside of Championship makes it hard to gain momentum, finances, and following. Add into the mix that the whole franchise system is mental as if it was so hot football would have been doing it way before us.....
The Dons have been fortunate in some ways that we have learnt from our mistakes, but I honestly cannot see all those in Div 2 or whatever it is going to be called finishing teh full season. (I hope I am wrong).

Some of the amateur teams I know of, prefer to be so as their is less drain on resources and in reality the decent amateur sides would compete with the majority of the divsion that will be formed.

If I was a Fev or Fax fan I would be completely dissolusioned by now, Widnes have shown very little and have a financial history that is far from perfect.
Fev showed they can compete at a higher level but 3 League titles in a row and they will still be in same league next season....(And they are a genuine traditional club)

Sorry but the system / set up changes too frequently - how many other fans have to ask what the promotion criteria is at the start of each year.
Football Top 2 Promoted from Championship - next 4 play off for final spot.
The great thing with this is that it does mean the Blackpool's of this world get a shot - do ok and if run right still end up a better club whatever happens. It's not that long since Man City were a league below Premier...
Yes sugar daddies cause a false picture - but nobody in the Premier League is safe on name, stadium and status alone...


God knows if Bradford can struggle what hope do so many have?
The fact that SL signed into a sponsorship deal that secured no funding or revenue to the sport or League is absolute example of lacking business sense, added into the mix they bought one of the poorest SL grounds around, why couldn't that money have gone into development?.

I am happy with how our club is run and performs as each game is generally exciting - but ultimately any sportsman wants to play at the the highest level possible and if no promotion exists that knocks some opportunities out of the window and can make team retention and recruitment difficult.

I would love to know how many Champ and Champ 1 teams field a second team in any shape or form?
Where is the expansion and sustainability in that?

It would just be nice to go through 5 seasons plus with some consistency.

As always IMO.