Doncaster RLFC • Current position / fixtures / play off chances

You make some good points. Here are my thoughts...

We made a big mistake when we finished fourth in the Championship under Paul Cooke. That was our opportunity to press on and become a top side in that league. I did say at the time that I thought we were lucky to finish fourth as quite a few close games went our way. We almost certainly weren’t the fourth best team in the league.

We recruited very poorly for the following season and got relegated in quite dramatic fashion. Paul Cooke didn’t become a bad coach. Even when he got sacked he was still well regarded and well respected by the fans. It goes to show that even a very good coach can’t make a poor team win. We then made a mistake that set us back further by recruiting the wrong man for the job in Gary Thornton.

When things go wrong they can’t always be fixed quickly. A ship has to be turned round before it can move forwards, I think we need to give Richard Horne and the coaching staff two full seasons to get this sorted.

The Dons and Hunslet were relegated in 2015. Workington and Whitehaven came down in 2016-17. All four teams have found it hard to get out of this league.

I do share everyone’s concerns about where we seem to be at the moment. Our aim isn’t to peak in June though, it’s got to be to get into the top five and then peak for the play-offs. I don't believe that now is the right time to be deciding whether we've moved forward. That decision is better made at the end of the season.