With one of the rearranged games having been rearranged again, the Dons find themselves with a fixture next weekend after all. The venue is the LD Nutrition Stadium, Featherstone and the opposition, the in-form Newcastle Thunder.

Back-to-back victories over promotion rivals Oldham and Hunslet have reignited the Dons promotion hopes and although they are currently out of the play off positions on points difference, any one of seven teams could yet win this division, with whoever finishes seventh missing out on a play off place.

As such, Saturday's fixture against fifth place Newcastle, who beat league leaders Whitehaven yesterday, presents another significant challenge.

Richard Horne seems to be getting the nucleus of a settled side together now and the recent addition of Watson Boas along with some quality from Hull would appear to have taken the performances up a notch or two.

Last SeasonPlease Note

.... and we immediately lose one ....

Is that a match forecast?

Having Jez Litten and Cameron Scott in the team has definitely helped.

There are three possible reasons why the Cameron Smith loan may have happened:

1) Hull have made him go to York (either for financial reasons or because he will be playing better class rugby) or
2) Cameron Scott wanted to go to York, or
3) Richard Horne didn't want him to play for us.

At the last fans panel meeting I raised the point that DR means we have very little control over what Hull do, but what Hull does has a critical impact on what we do. A significant number of players we could have expected to have been coming our way at the start of the season haven't. Had they done so, I have no doubt our league position would have been healthier.

There may be good reasons (from Hull's point of view) for these things happening but when they happen they leave us short of where we need to be. The Dons, as a club, need to have more control or else we will forever be going round in the same circles.

I thought the current DR arrangement, with five of the best coming from Hull, was the way forward. In theory, it's a great idea, in practice it clearly doesn't work. I believe it is time we ditched DR and built a bigger squad of players of our own; using the loan market to bring in other players if we need extra numbers.

It's time we took control of this situation as we cannot rely on Hull to help get us out of this league.

Yes, everything from Hull needs to go back ...
but only if we flop.
lol

That's all fine from a Hull point of view and I have no deep issue with that.

Doncaster supporters are though entitled to question the 'enhanced dual registration agreement' rolled out to us only a few short months ago.

I would think that having moved the fixture at very short notice and then having Hull move yet another potential DR player on, it's a fixture Club Doncaster wouldn't wish to lose ...

I agree but that was your management not Hull Fcs

Eh?
Thought it was a agreement between the two clubs.

Surely there needs to be some co-operation between Hull and the Dons? Working better together could help get us out of this league and help Hull's DR players play at a higher level all of the time.

Maybe Richard Horne was happy for Cam Scott to go to York, we don't know.

Instances like this make the Dons fans feel very frustrated and confused.

Yes i understand and agree with what you are saying.
Unfortunately with all Super League clubs having to run meaningful reserve team fixtures next season i am not sure how the D/R with Doncaster will work as there may not be sufficient players available

Featherstone promote the Dons game on Saturday along with making their fans aware of the other Dons matches being played at their stadiumhttps://www.featherstonerovers.co.uk/news/doncaster-vs-thunder-at-ld-nutrition-stadium-this-saturday-lHQH9rl

Sunday 12:30 would have made so much more sense for all concerned.

Bet365 betting ...

Dons -4 10/11.