Rugby League

[Jemmo]

Dons have rested every player we can today, still going in 40-0 at half time

[Jemmo]

Full time 74-6

[Pintolager]

Out of interest Jemmo, is this the Dons biggest ever win? Brilliant result!

[Jemmo]

No we got a 98-0 in Tattersfield days, and a 104-6 about 5 years ago

[Jemmo]

In fact just realised, we beat Salford 78-8 so it wasn't even our biggest win this season

[Metalmicky]

Dons sat in second in the Championship table.... behind the London Broncos.

Knights also had a good win yesterday over Hartpury, who were above them in the table.

[graingrover]

Wow , they have some great athletes ! 74- 6 win .They are second in the table and play leaders London Broncos soon

[Jemmo]

The South Yorkshire derby on Good Friday as we visit Sheffield Seagulls. Can’t look beyond that yet

[tyke1962]

I notice the Dons are home to the London Broncos on April 26th .

I'll see if I can get along to that as Trinity are at Saints the day before .

[danumdon]

Other than highlights on YouTube we don't get to see too much championship Rugby League so I was wondering how the new rules around quicker play the balls are playing out in the championship ?

To be honest it's mayhem at the moment in Super League , the amount of 6 agains and penalties conceded for holding on too long in the ruck is creating chaos .

I'm all for a quick game but at the moment I feel that the refs are way too harsh and we haven't got the balance right especially at the start of games when the referee wants to put a marker down .

At York on Friday night within 2 minutes Trinity conceded three 6 agains and a penalty , as I say I'm all for a quick game but the speed has to be factored in to reality , nobody can play Rugby League at the speed some referees are demanding .

I'm wondering how this is getting played out in the championship ? , with all due respect there is a massive difference in skill , fitness and conditioning to factor in at championship level and they can't possibly be expected to play Rugby League at the speed the new rules are demanding if we are struggling to adapt in Super League .

This sounds like a good idea if implemented sympathetically.

Its a good idea to get the huge monsters out of the game and have a side with smaller but quicker and faster players.

I can remember seeing the Dons play against some huge packs in the past, it wasn't great tp watch and the game suffered for it. It looks like this incarnation of the Dons have a pack who aren't huge (Pauli aside) but have speed and more importantly strength endurance, it was never great seeing massive props having short stints and this looks to be reduced to me for fitter and better speed/strength/size balance players.

The game has definably moved on from when the Dons had that season in the sun in the top league.

[tyke1962]

Other than highlights on YouTube we don't get to see too much championship Rugby League so I was wondering how the new rules around quicker play the balls are playing out in the championship ?

To be honest it's mayhem at the moment in Super League , the amount of 6 agains and penalties conceded for holding on too long in the ruck is creating chaos .

I'm all for a quick game but at the moment I feel that the refs are way too harsh and we haven't got the balance right especially at the start of games when the referee wants to put a marker down .

At York on Friday night within 2 minutes Trinity conceded three 6 agains and a penalty , as I say I'm all for a quick game but the speed has to be factored in to reality , nobody can play Rugby League at the speed some referees are demanding .

I'm wondering how this is getting played out in the championship ? , with all due respect there is a massive difference in skill , fitness and conditioning to factor in at championship level and they can't possibly be expected to play Rugby League at the speed the new rules are demanding if we are struggling to adapt in Super League .

This sounds like a good idea if implemented sympathetically.

Its a good idea to get the huge monsters out of the game and have a side with smaller but quicker and faster players.

I can remember seeing the Dons play against some huge packs in the past, it wasn't great tp watch and the game suffered for it. It looks like this incarnation of the Dons have a pack who aren't huge (Pauli aside) but have speed and more importantly strength endurance, it was never great seeing massive props having short stints and this looks to be reduced to me for fitter and better speed/strength/size balance players.

The game has definably moved on from when the Dons had that season in the sun in the top league.

The NRL in Australia shows us what this game can be when it's played at that speed and the skill to pull it off .

The problem is the new rules are trying to create this over here but unfortunately we are a bit behind on the skill level and possibly fitness and conditioning too .

That said this isn't the same game when I first went through those turnstiles at Trinity in 1982 , in fact it's a world away and a way better product today .

It's going to be an unpredictable time in Super League as the players adapt to the new rules with nobody guaranteed anything on any given round .

It's a case of hoping that what ever team you support you adapt better as the season goes on .

[tyke1962]

The South Yorkshire derby on Good Friday as we visit Sheffield Seagulls. Can’t look beyond that yet

And not the easiest ground to play on either given the surface .

One of those games in 2024 i was glad to get out of with two points in the bag .

It's a real battle in the championship and as good as Trinity were in 2024 we didn't always have it our own way in games and had to fight for every metre gained at times and Sheffield was one of those nights .

Don't get me started on Batley and going up that hill in the second half .

[Jemmo]

Highlights of Dons v Swinton

https://youtu.be/Zr5xIOLiJYg?si=xUan9etaPI_KGBqn

[Jemmo]

The South Yorkshire derby on Good Friday as we visit Sheffield Seagulls. Can’t look beyond that yet

And not the easiest ground to play on either given the surface .

One of those games in 2024 i was glad to get out of with two points in the bag .

It's a real battle in the championship and as good as Trinity were in 2024 we didn't always have it our own way in games and had to fight for every metre gained at times and Sheffield was one of those nights .

Don't get me started on Batley and going up that hill in the second half .

We seem to have a good record at Batley, but very much safe Pauli Pauli or Gadwin Springer for the downhill half.

Sheffield is just an awful ground all round, they got really shafted when Don Valley was taken off them and this was the replacement but that has been some time now and there doesn't seem to be much happening to improve it. We got our forst win in a long timke there last season, and this Friday will certainly be the forst time I can remember going there as favourites...which doesn't sit well with me

[Jemmo]

Both teams have named the 21 man squads today’s; Dons missing a few key players, namely Briscoe, Burns and Knowles.

Think the first 2 will be replaced by Vulikijapni and Boas, the last place is most up for grabs but I’d guess Pauli Pauli will get a place

[Jemmo]

 There’ll be commentary of the South Yorkshire derby here

https://west-yorkshire-rugby-league.mixlr.com/

[tyke1962]

Cracking day in Super League today .

Hull KR v Hull FC

Saints v Wigan

And the return of the Bradford Bulls v Leeds Rhinos derby this evening .

[Jemmo]

Bookies have given Sheffield a 2.5 start today so they’re expecting a close affair

[Jemmo]

Half time

Sheffield 0 - Dons 32

Seriously. Wow

[Jemmo]

Full time

Sheffield 0 - Dons 46

[BillyStubbsTears]

That is a real statement

[Jemmo]

That was something special today. Sheffield could have had the ball till Sunday and not scored. Attacking demolition job in the first half, defensive master class in the second

[tyke1962]

Well that's some victory to say the least with a real showdown on the horizon against the London Broncos at the end of the month .

I'm really going to try and get over for that match because it could be a defining game not only in the context of two competition points but the availability of a Super League place or places emerging .

[idler]

That was something special today. Sheffield could have had the ball till Sunday and not scored. Attacking demolition job in the first half, defensive master class in the second

The team must be really buzzing after that.

[Jemmo]

Highlights of Dons win at Sheffield

https://youtu.be/_HBvDQBrsRI?si=alzlaFQAJakehBAJ

[Jemmo]

It didn’t make the highlights but moments like this were my highlight. The Eagles played had been put in his arse the last set by Pauli so obviously wanted to target him to return the favour. It didn’t work out well

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1dG4TCD3fT/?mibextid=wwXIfr

[tyke1962]

Well despite what you might read that Super League is struggling and needs NRL finance to keep the game alive nobody seems to have told the fans .

Over 80k came through the turnstiles this easter weekend to watch the 7 games and over 70k tickets have already been sold for Magic Weekend at the new Everton stadium in July .

Not only that they've seen some scintillating games this weekend with the Saints comeback win against Wigan the pick of them .

There is also a five team tie at the top of Super League with all the respective teams on 10 points and that doesn't even include last years treble winners Hull KR .

This is turning into the most competitive Super League in history and we are only 7 rounds in .

[BobG]

Christ! That Pauli stop is almost Biblical!

[tyke1962]

Christ! That Pauli stop is almost Biblical!

I remember him at Wakefield Bob and he's a real unit .

Great pick up for the Dons , can't be too many players in the championship with NRL experience .

[Jemmo]

At the moment we have Buretta Faraimo (Parramatta), Pauli Pauli (Parramatta, Newcastle), and Suaia Matagi (NZ Warriors, Roosters, Penrith, Parramatta) with NRL experience, admittedly some time ago for a couple of them.

We have no game again this weekend, such is the stop start nature of the competition, then 1895 Cup next week on the Saturday. Next league game is the huge match again London