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 Season: Doncaster 38 Newcastle 21 (Sunday 2 September 201icon_cool.gif.
Dons Tries: Hakim Miloudi, Matty Beharrell, Jack Sanderson, Jason Tali 2, Jordan Howden, Jack Logan.
Dons Conversions: Matty Beharrell 5.

=#000080Please Note: This is a 12:30 kick off on Saturday at Featherstone.

.... 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

i understand the frustration but the club need to see Cam Scott playing regularly at a higher level to gauge his development as he is off contract this year.
With the emergence of Kieran Buchanan into a fringe first team player who is also a centre the club have to look at development of the younger players who are off contract this year.
Buchanan will take his place for your next match

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 stadium:

[urlhttps://www.featherstonerovers.co.uk/news/doncaster-vs-thunder-at-ld-nutrition-stadium-this-saturday-lHQH9[/url

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

Bet365 betting ...

Dons -4 10/11.

The Hull squad for the weekend is:

Hull FC: Jamie Shaul, Bureta Faraimo, Josh Griffin, Albert Kelly, Marc Sneyd, Scott Taylor, Danny Houghton, Josh Bowden, Dean Hadley, Sika Manu, Joe Westerman, Jake Connor, Chris Green, Brad Fash, Mickey Paea, Danny Washbrook, Ratu Naulago, Andre Savelio, Kieran Buchanan

Keiran Buchanan doesn't look likely to be replacing Cameron Scott for the Dons.

Squad

Guy Armitage (T), Stefanos Bastas, Matty Beharrell, Watson Boas, Connor Bower, Ryan Boyle, Jack Brown (D/R), Sam Doherty, Brandon Douglas, Brad Foster, Jordie Hedges, Jordan Howden, Kyle Kesik, Kieron Lawton, Jez Litten (D/R), Levy Nzoungou (D/R), Connor Scott, Jason Tali, Menzie Yere.

We believe Guy armitage is brother of Delon and Stefan, and a centre

Beggars belief. A trialist at centre in one of our most important games. Who his brother's are is irrelevant. Trialist for who btw?

Matt chrimes away with England?
Has Armitage got any RL experience?

We're short a winger.

Chrimes was due to miss the Sheffield and Coventry games so rearranging this fixture probably means we lose him for Saturday too.

So Armitage has played RL on wing? Keiron Lawton. Time to be a hero

Armitage will be targeted to death. Cannot possibly risk him

Douglas back in contention which is good.