Dons' Double Hopes Alive

Talented scrum-half Craig Fawcett crossed.

Doncaster RLFC 20 v 0 Workington Town
Co-Operative Championship 1 play-off semi-final eliminator
Keepmoat Stadium
Attendance – 576

 

Championship 1 League Leaders Doncaster booked their place in the Grand Final at Warrington’s Halliwell Jones Stadium next Sunday after overcoming Workington by twenty unanswered points.

Tries from Chris Spurr, Stuart Sanderson, Craig Fawcett and Nathan Powley did the damage to the Cumbrians who will lament the red card shown to their loose forward Chris Annakin for foul play which scuppered any real hopes of a showdown with Barrow Raiders.

Annakin’s ‘dump tackle’ early in the second half only aided the home side’s cause, who now return to Cheshire four years on from when Ellery Hanley guided them to success over Oldham.

Doncaster, who lost Paul Cooke to injury in the narrow play-off defeat to Barrow a week ago, showed their superiority from the off when Spurr charged down a clearance and dribbled his way to the line to lay down an early marker.

The visitors, who had much of the territory in the first period, responded with wave after wave of attacks in dangerous areas but could not penetrate a stubborn Doncaster line which held firm.

Cooke’s absence hampered much of the hosts attacking armoury, though the south Yorkshire side defended doggedly throughout.

The Dons’ patience in completing their own sets was rewarded when the ball was shipped out wide left to Dan Cowling midway through the first half. The Wakefield Wildcats loanee, although off balance, prodded the ball forward for Sanderson to hunt down and notch his seventh of the campaign.

Annakin’s ill-discipline within seconds of the restart made Town’s task considerably harder and Doncaster capitalised on the man advantage within minutes. Spurr sent Tom Hodson – the Featherstone-bound wing – clear, who in turn fed Fawcett to sidestep his way to the line.

Former Dons loanee Jamie Thackray was lucky not to follow his teammate down the tunnel a few minutes later as he clattered Craig Robinson with a flying elbow.

A combination of excellent last ditch defending and Workington profligacy kept the chances of a shutout alive – former England winger Mark Calderwood, who was deputising at full-back, the most guilty as he fluffed a chance with a forward pass when a matter of yards from the line.

Nathan Powley successfully lunged for the line late on to round off a spicy encounter in which the weather and the loss of Craig Lawton, Kyle Kesik, and Russ Spiers to injury may have left Dons coach Tony Miller a little cold.