Doncaster Rugby League Club is in action once again on Sunday afternoon with a friendly game against fellow Co-operative Championship side Keighley Cougars.

This will be Keighley's fourth pre-season fixture after defeats to Halifax and Batley and a narrow 23-20 victory over Barrow.

The Cougars finished sixth in the Championship last season with 31 points and will give the Dons a much sterner test after a 44-16 victory in their opening friendly against a Featherstone under 20's side last Friday night.

Every squad member of the blue and gold's is available apart from Paul Cooke who continues to make good progress from the broken kneecap he sustained last September.

There is an addition to the Dons squad in Bobby Goulding Jnr of Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. The 19 year-old half back signed for the Wildcats last December from Warrington Wolves and is available thanks to the Dons-Wildcats partnership.

Ticket prices for the game at the Keepmoat Stadium (3:00pm kick-off) are as follows:

Adults: £10
Concessions: £5
Children (5-16): £2
Under 5's go free

The Dons are also at home next Sunday and will entertain Wakefield in the last pre-season friendly (3pm kick-off) before their league opener against Dewsbury Rams.

Beat the snow and come down to the Keepmoat to support last year's double winning team.

Come on you Dons!

Great news ,looking forward to my first RL fix of the season !

Game def on people!!! COYD!!!

Just to confirm that the stadium's ground staff have passed the pitch fit for today's game.

COYD

excellent news . come on you Dons

Well done to the groundstaff .

Agreed ... excellent news.

I'm wrapped up like a Michelin man.
COYD

Pitch looks perfect

Dons 36 Keighley 22
We have nothing to fear in this division.

Good run out, first half very good, second half a bit raggedy, but amount of changes made good flow difficult . But that's what friendlys are for , bl00dy cold..

was very impressed with Waller and Tuffour. Goulding has potential. We did seem a little light up the middle when Waller went off though - also hope Tuffour's injury wasn't serious and taking off was just a precaution. Are we gonna see Clare or Cowling preseason/at all do we think?

Good run out , the ref assisted Keighley with a couple of tries.

Keighley did get back in the game at 18-16 but Dons deserved their win.

Waller, Cunningham , Castle , Waterman ,Tuffour impressed.

Cooke, Walshaw,Clare & Cowling to come into squad , looks promising .

Team to be main 17 based on today would be..
1. Butterfield
2. Sanderson
3. Cunningham
4. Waterman
5. Tufour
6. Cooke
7. Goulding
8. Castle
9. Kesick
10. Waller (MOM imo)
11. Kelly (Not at his best today though)
12. Spurr
13. Edwards (Massively underated as every time goes off defence and attack suffers)

Subs that would contend
Emmett, Walshaw, Hughes, Robinson (but wasn't great today), Fawcett

Dissapointed today in Broughton, Carbutt, Powley.

Fran needs to get back 100% to judge, Leafe can do a job, but defence far outways his attack.
When will be see James Clare (or whatever he is called?) and is Cowling on way back or not DR?

The first 13 certainly looked the most organised after that it was hit and miss...Early days and a great result, but would rather see next week a team that is looking like what we would start with, the over rotatation in friendlies doesn't always achieve what it is meant to IMO..
PS don't play Waller next week or we will end up losing him to Wakey!!!!

Not being picky, but we led 24 - 0 at one point ... they only ever got back to 24-16 with 3 tries in 10 mins either side of HT.

I stand corrected , 24-0 it was !

Keighley came to win this game, that was evident in the second half.
But a side that finished sixth in this division was made to look pants by the Dons, who are not yet sorted out themselves.
Bring it on I say.

To be fair to Cougars last season they did have Obst, Demetriou, Korkidas and a few others which would have made a great difference.
They are rebuilding to and have made a few good signings but I don't think they will be top 6 this year.
They had already had 2 more hit outs than us this pre-season too.

Yes you are right, they were weaker than last season.

How did fran welsh get on?

He works with me and I always ask how he has got on at the weekend if i bump into him, not ran into him this week so far

Doncaster Rugby League Club made it two wins out of two in 2013 with a well-deserved 36-22 victory over fellow Championship side Keighley Cougars at the Keepmoat Stadium.

This pre-season friendly was played in good spirits and it didn't take the hosts long to take the lead when second rower Chris Spurr went over for a well worked try after seven minutes. Wakefield's Bobby Goulding junior, making his debut for the club, added the extras.

The blue and gold's played some great rugby league in the first forty and extended their lead to 24-0 with well taken tries from Lee Waterman and Grant Edwards before a tremendous touchline hugging score from new signing Dennis Tuffour.

Goulding made no mistake and landed all three kicks, including one from the touchline, before the Cougars pulled a converted try back in the last two minutes of the half to trail 24-6 at the break.

Keighley, who made last season's play-offs under former head coach Jason Demetriou, came out firing in the second half and quickly registered two tries to make the score 24-16 to add some pressure on the home side.

However, Brett Waller, the Dons big prop making a promising home debut, powered over for a well-deserved try and another Goulding conversion gave the Dons breathing space at 30-16.

19 year-old Goulding, who impressed throughout the game, made a great cross field kick to winger Stuart Sanderson who dived over in the corner to extend the Dons lead to 34-16.

The son of the former Great Britain half-back Goulding senior made it six out of six with another superb touchline conversion before Scott Leatherbarrow converted his own try to have the final say of the game. The final score therefore stood at 36-22 to the 2012 Championship One winners.

The home side were good value for money considering this was the Cougars fourth run out of their pre-season campaign. A number of players shone including Waterman, Tuffour, Waller, Mark Castle and man of the match Goulding, who is set to become a dual registered player for the club.

Dons head coach Tony Miller was understandably very pleased with his team's performance who will now play Super League club Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in their last pre-season friendly on Sunday 27th January at the Keepmoat Stadium (3pm kick-off).

Tickets are on sale now and prices are as follows:

Adults - £12
Concessions - £6
Juniors (5-16) - £2
Under 5's go free

The club will then entertain Dewsbury Rams on Sunday 3rd February in the opening league game of the new season in the Co-operative Championship at the Keepmoat (3pm kick-off).

For his first game back from injury I thought he did very well

it was his second game back. He played ok. Hes got a long way to go to get some fitness back

To say that when he broke it, he wasn't expected to be back until June time, I'd say he's recovered pretty well, he just needs to get back to full fitness and strength.

which is what i said.. he needs to get fitness back & he has some time to go to do that...