Doncaster R.L.F.C.

Doncaster Rugby League Football Club is a professional rugby league football club, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire. They play in the third tier League 1.

Doncaster RLFC
Club information
Full nameDoncaster Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)Dons
Colours
Founded1951 (1951)
Exited1995 (1995)
Readmitted1995 (1995)
(as Doncaster Dragons)
Websitedoncasterrugbyleague.co.uk
details
Ground(s)
  • Keepmoat Stadium (15,231), since 2007
    Belle Vue, 1998–2006 and 1995–1996
    Meadow Court Stadium, 1996–1997
    Tattersfield, 1953–1995
    York Road Greyhound Stadium, 1951–1953
ChairmanGavin Baldwin
CoachRichard Horne
CompetitionLeague 1
2019 season4th
Current season
Uniforms
Home colours

They have previously been known as Doncaster Dragons (1995–2005) and Doncaster Lakers (2006–2007). They were also previously informally known as The Dons but it is now their official nickname.

History

1951–1994: Foundation

From 1956–1961, Doncaster finished every season as the bottom side in the Rugby Football League, and remained consistently in the bottom three between 1963 and 1968. The 1970s, and early 1980s proved to be no easier, with Doncaster only avoiding a bottom three finish on two occasions between 1970 and 1985.

In 1980, Yorkshire Television made a one-off documentary Another Bloody Sunday, the TV crew followed the Dons as they tried to avoid finishing the season without winning a single game.

John Sheridan became head coach of the Dons in 1984. The club had no money but Sheridan still managed to put together one of the Dons' best squads and went on to win 30 of the 44 games they played under him. He was replaced by his number-two Graham Hepptinstall after a few years but a players' revolt saw him come back for a second spell. He was voted the most influential person in the club's history by the Dons fans.

On Sunday 1 September 1991, Third Division rugby was introduced into British rugby league. Doncaster entertained Nottingham City that day with the home side winning by a club record 88–6.

Doncaster won eight consecutive games under Tony Fisher, but in the penultimate game of the 1994 season they fell to a surprise 20–2 away defeat to mid-table Rochdale Hornets as Workington Town beat Keighley to take top spot. Doncaster won 10–5 in their final game away at Batley's Mount Pleasant and the club won promotion to the Premier Division for the first time in 1993–94.

1995–1997: Proposed South Yorkshire merger

In 1994–95 Tattersfield was the venue for a game against Widnes, broadcast live on Sky Television, which Doncaster won by 21–6. At that time, "The Dons" were at the top of Division 1. On 15 December 1994, Doncaster were already in trouble with debts of £1.4m and were put into administration. The RFL took over the costs of running the club after an aborted attempt to merge the club with Sheffield Eagles . Doncaster were bought from administration by owners of Tattersfield ground in March 1995 but at the end of their one and only season in the top flight the club went into liquidation with debts of £1.4 million and the curtain closed on the Tattersfield era when the stadium was sold for housing development. The Dons played their last game at Tattersfield on 23 April 1995.

When a Rupert Murdoch funded Super League competition was proposed, part of the deal was that some traditional clubs would merge. Doncaster was to merge with Sheffield to form a South Yorkshire club that would compete in Super League. A meeting in Doncaster with Gary Hetherington from Sheffield Eagles was attended by 400 supporters and only 16 voted in favour; 3,000 people signed a petition against the merger and Doncaster survived as an unmerged club.

1998–2004: Doncaster Dragons

The following a year, a new club called Doncaster Dragons raised from the ashes of the previous club, but was forced to restart life in the bottom division of the Rugby Football League. With Tattersfield gone they temporarily shared Belle Vue Stadium with association football club Doncaster Rovers while Meadow Court Stadium (another greyhound stadium in Stainforth, Doncaster) was being prepared for rugby league. The Dragons played at Meadow Court Stadium for a few years before returning to Belle Vue permanently for the beginning of the 1998 season.

In 1999, St. John Ellis was appointed head coach of Doncaster, he was too late to prevent them finishing 18th and last in the Premiership, making them the lowest-ranked club in the professional game. The following year, helped by some ambitious recruitment, they were third. One of Doncaster's achievements under Ellis was to become notoriously difficult to beat at home, with the Belle Vue ground unofficially renamed 'The House of Pain'. John Wright rescued Doncaster from liquidation in 2001 and oversaw the steady growth of the club, while St John remained coach.

2005–2006: Doncaster Lakers
Doncaster wordmark, when the club renamed to "Doncaster Lakers"

At the end of the 2005 season Dragons was dropped and Doncaster Rugby League Club adopted the name Lakers to reflect the new Lakeside Community Stadium (now the Keepmoat Stadium), which would soon be their new home. The stadium, a purpose built community facility, would house both Lakers and Doncaster Rovers Football Club as well as women's football team Doncaster Belles. Tony Miller was appointed head coach for the 2006 season following the untimely death on New Year's Eve 2005, of St John Ellis. Singe, as he was known familiarly by fans, was rugby league's longest serving coach at the time.

Loyal Doncaster fans began to oppose the re-branding to Lakers, especially when the club's historic colours, blue and gold, were replaced with red, white and black.

The club parted company with Tony Miller in July 2006 and former Great Britain International Alan Hunte of Salford agreed to help the club in a short-term coaching role. The sacking of Tony Miller later led to him receiving £8,000 when he took the club to court. Australian Kieran Dempsey, formerly of Parramatta, was appointed head coach on a two-year contract in August 2006 and Phil Windley was appointed as his assistant.

Ellery Hanley was appointed head coach in December 2007. The 2007 season kicked off early for the Lakers, when they played host to a pre-season warm up against Sheffield Eagles on 27 December 2006. This was no ordinary game, as it marked the opening of the Keepmoat Stadium. Lakers, back in blue and gold, lost 16–10 in front of 5,400 spectators, the club's biggest crowd in a decade. The Lakers came bottom of their Northern Rail Cup group.

On 1 April 2007, Head Coach Keiran Dempsey and Assistant Coach Phil Windley were suspended pending an internal investigation and Gary Wilkinson was temporary placed in charge of the team. The following Friday (6 April 2007) saw the Lakers kick start the 2007 league campaign beating Sheffield Eagles 24–20 away from home.

Doncaster Home and Away Kits 2007

Six and a half thousand people attended the club's first game on live TV for over 10 years, on Thursday 12 April at the Keepmoat Stadium. The game shown live on Sky Sports saw Doncaster pummelled 66–4 against promotion favourites Castleford. It was announced by chairman John Wright that the club was having financial difficulties and would have to go into a CVA (Company Voluntary Agreement). The Lakers then went on to defeat joint top of the table Whitehaven 26–16. The match, which was promoted as possibly the last game of professional rugby league in Doncaster, attracted only 831 supporters. On Saturday 12 May chairman John Wright announced he was to resign from the club.

Lakers only just managed to put together a team against Rochdale Hornets away at Spotland on 20 May, after several players including Graham Holroyd and Danny Mills left the club. The team went on to lose 58–12 to the sound of the chant, 'We're proud of you' from the travelling fans. A few hours after the match, Coach Gary Wilkinson resigned. The following Tuesday (22 May), local lad and crowd favourite Peter Green was announced as Caretaker Coach. On Sunday 3 June, Lakers lost at home to Batley 48–14 and on the following Sunday 10 June at home, they suffered a massive 90–4 defeat at the hands of Widnes.Chairman John Wright announced that he would put the club in liquidation on 13 June if no buyers came forward. The crowd of over 1,200 applauded the loyal Doncaster players upon the final whistle. When Wednesday 13th came, it was announced that Doncaster-born businessmen Shane Miller and Craig Harrison had struck a deal with the RFL to set up a new club which would take over from the old one within National League 1. .

On Tuesday 19 June 2007, Doncaster announced former St Helens and Widnes forward John Stankevitch as new head coach, taking over from Peter Green. On 28 June it was announced that the new owners had decided to ditch the Lakers moniker and revert to Doncaster RLFC. In the last home game of the 2007 season, 'the Dons' put on a brilliant performance to beat Dewsbury 51–18. For the final game of the season 'the Dons' travelled to the Shay to face Halifax. Former 'Don' Graham Holroyd ran the game for Halifax, leading them to a 52–24 victory, this result meant that Doncaster had finished bottom of the 2007 League table.

2007–present: Doncaster RLFC
Former emblem

On 29 November 2007 it was announced on the official Doncaster website that head coach John Stankevitch had resigned, due to "personal reasons". On 14 December 2007, Ellery Hanley was unveiled as Stankevitch's replacement. The Dons were drawn into Northern Rail Cup Group 3 alongside London Skolars, Crusaders and South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Eagles. The Dons qualified for the knock-out phase still with a game in hand by beating London at home and away as well as taking bonus points off Sheffield and Crusaders, who both play in a higher division. The Dons started the 2008 league campaign with a bang, winning three from three with 56–0, 54–12 and 36–18 wins. This saw them go top of the league at the end of March. Doncaster beat Oldham 18–10 in the National League Two Grand Final at Warrington to seal promotion alongside Gateshead and Barrow. Ellery Hanley resigned as coach, citing financial restraints.

2009 saw former player Carl Hall take over the club as part of a venture to secure the long term future of the club, and they were relegated from the Championship at the end of that season. The appointment of Tony Miller, Hanleys assistant, and former Dons player, as head coach, saw a new team built, and the side finished in mid-table of Championship One. Small improvements were seen in 2010 and 2011, as Miller rebuilt the playing side, with an improvement to the finishing position seen each year.

2012 saw Doncaster make their biggest statement in several years, as former Hull Kingston Rovers, Hull F.C. and Wakefield Trinity stand-off, Paul Cooke was convinced to come out of retirement, and ply his trade in Championship One. Behind Cooke, who secured the Championship One Player Of The Year, Doncaster won the League Leaders Shield as Barrow and Workington faltered with two games left, with a defeat of London Skolars. The game also saw Lee Waterman break the clubs tryscoring record. Having already secured promotion, Doncaster attempted to secure their second silverware of the season, by winning the Playoffs. This took a blow almost immediately, as straight from kickoff in the first match vs Barrow, the mercurial Cooke suffered a broken kneecap, ruling him out for the remainder of the season, and saw the side slump to a defeat in his absence. With a makeshift halfback partnership, Doncaster defeated Workington Town in the Semi Final to set up a rematch against Barrow at Warrington in the Play-off final. A close affair saw Barrow lead at half time, before Lee Waterman and Craig Fawcett scored tries, and a defensive effort in the last 10 minutes saw the Dons home to victory.

Association football side, Doncaster Rovers took over the club in 2013,[1] and saw the club begin to operate under the auspices of 'Club Doncaster', a concept which sees the Football Club and Rugby Club share Commercial, Marketing and Media infrastructure, and saving on overheads. The 2013 season saw Doncaster consolidate their position in the Championship post promotion, with a Paul Cooke inspired side finishing in 4th position

Kit sponsors and manufacturers
YearsKit ManufacturerMain Shirt Sponsor
1990–1995Ellgrennone
1996–1997PumaTaylor Anderson
1998–2002BulldogResdev
2003KukriEarth Mortgages
2004Furniture Factors
2005–2006ImpactDoncaster College
2007ISCLakeside Village
2008–2009Centurion
2010–2012K4
2013–2016Fi-ta
2017–FBT

2021 squad
Doncaster RLFC 2021 Squad
First team squad Coaching staff
  • 27 Danny Bravo - SR

Head coach

Assistant coach

  • Peter Green
Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice captain(s)

Updated: 30 December 2020
Source(s): 2020 Squad Numbers

2021 transfers

Gains

PlayerClubContractDate
Aaron YorkCoffs Harbour Comets1 YearOctober 2020
Ben JohnstonYork City Knights2 YearsOctober 2020
Danny BravoBatley Bulldogs2 YearsOctober 2020
Ross WhitmoreLeeds Tykes2 YearsOctober 2020
Liam JohnsonDewsbury Rams1 YearOctober 2020
Misi TaulapapaUnattached2 YearsNovember 2020
Josef FellaCastleford Tigers1 YearDecember 2020

Losses

PlayerClubContractDate
Brad EnglandBradford Bulls1 YearOctober 2020
/ Rangi ChaseWest Wales Raiders2 YearsNovember 2020

Players

Players earning international caps while at Doncaster

Other notable former players

These players have either; received a Testimonial match, were international representatives before, or after, their time at Doncaster, or are notable outside of rugby league.

Past coaches

Seasons

Super League era
Season League Play-offs Challenge Cup Other competitions Name Tries Name Points
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos Top try scorer Top point scorer
1996 Division Two 22130950054026 5th R3
1997 Division Two 2031162476687 10th R4
1998 Division Two 20221628961946 8th R3
1999 Northern Ford Premiership 2841234739119 18th R4
2000 Northern Ford Premiership 28210788039742 3rd R5
2001 Northern Ford Premiership 281401462253228 12th R5
2002 Northern Ford Premiership 271611074160333 6th QF
2003 National League One 18611142963213 8th R5
2004 National League One 1891846850219 6th Lost in Elimination Playoffs R5
2005 National League One 18100848547020 5th Lost in Elimination Playoffs R5
2006 National League One 18611145853313 8th R4
2007 National League One 18501334877810 10th R3
2008 National League Two 22150767242648 4th R4 Championship CupRU
2009 Championship 201019257955-1 11th R4
2010 Championship 1 20801251858828 9th R3
2011 Championship 1 20120853143340 5th ? R4
2012 Championship 1 18150371734746 1st Won in Final R4
2013 Championship 261211359359443 6th Lost in Elimination Playoffs R4
2014 Championship 26171864359957 4th ? R5
2015 Championship 2310222828512 12th R4
Championship Shield 30202840111284 8th
2016 League 1 21140768352628 4th Lost in Semi Final R4
2017 League 1 22103959349223 6th R5
2018 League 1 26190795649538 3rd Lost in Semi Final R5
2019 League 1 20120856430924 4th Lost in Preliminary Final R6 1895 CupQF
2020 League 1 League abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom R4
2021 League 1 0000000 TBA

All-time statistics

Match
Goals: 15, Liam Harris at Post Office Road v West Wales Raiders, 15 July 2018
Tries: 6, Kane Epati v Oldham, 30 July 2006 , Lee Waterman v Sharlston Rovers, 24 March 2012
Points: 38, Liam Harris at Post Office Road v West Wales Raiders, 15 July 2018

Season
Goals: 129 Johnny Woodcock 2002
Tries: 35, Lee Waterman 2012
Points: 306, Johnny Woodcock 2002

Career
Goals: 773, David Noble 1974-91
Tries: 112, Mark Roache 1984-1997
Points: 1751, David Noble 1974-91

Doncaster appearances
Career: Audley Pennant 327 (1980–97)
Season: Arthur Street 40 (1951-52)

Highest score
102 v 6 West Wales Raiders - 15/7/2018

Biggest loss
4-90 v Widnes - 2007

Record crowd
10000 v Bradford Northern - 16/2/1952

All club statistics are courtesy of Ray Green/Rob Terrace (amendments required)

References
  1. "Doncaster Rovers take over Doncaster rugby league side". BBC Sport. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.