Which former Dons,Batley & Featherstone Rovers player was the head coach at these three clubs Kent Invicta,Southend Invicta & Fulham?

Was it Billy GOODWIN Geoff.

It certainly was Richard

If nothing else it shows that these two warhorses are still alive and kicking.

Yes I'm still alive and kicking but I don't attend the games anymore; in my 50 years of supporting the Dons home & away I have seen many changes to the game and I don't enjoy watching rugby league anymore so at end of the 2010 season I decided to kick the habit.

When the Dons were forced to leave Tattersfield many of the supporters didn't follow them to Stainforth , Belle Vue and the Keepmoat and they also got out of the habit of supporting the Dons and the way the current Rugby League structure is set up it will be very difficult to tempt them back.



I wish the Dons & all there supporters all the very best for the new season and hope you succeed in your quest for promotion.

Thanks for the good wishes for the season ahead, Geoff.



Your views are much appreciated and respected.



You suggested that the way Rugby League is currently structured makes it very difficult to tempt old Dons' supporters back.



What do you think can be done to tempt past supporters back?

Thanks for that Double Movement



I think it will prove to be very difficult to get the stay away supporters back not only at the Dons but with a few exceptions the majority of the none SL clubs.

The game outside of the SL is dying the none SL teams have very little to play for except a chance of promotion to SL every three years and then only if they meet the right critera,but if you are from an area outside the heartlands of the game you could be fast tracked straight in to SL

I have watched the National League games on television and in most cases they put all the supporters in to the stand that faces the TV cameras to try and create an atmosphere fans are turning there backs on the game could you see football league teams voting for promotion & relagation to & from the Premier League only every three years.The RL needs to bring back yearly promotion & relagation and give the teams & there supporters something to play for every season.



Some of the main reasons I don't go to watch games anymore is because I find a lot of the games are very boring and predictable there is far too much kicking in the game most of the kicks go straight to an opposing player the game now appears to be five drives a kick and hunt for the opponents mistakes there is very little skilful rugby played a lot of tries come from a high kick which results in the opposing player dropping the ball or the attacking player jumping higher to catch the ball

The scrums are a complete farce the scrum half now passes the ball through the scrum to the loose forward they should have a proper contested scrum or do away with the scrum altogether and restat the game with a play the ball.

They allow a lot of forward passes to go unpunished they say the reason for this is the players hands who passed the ball were facing backwards either ball went forward or it didn't.

At least I can look back and say that i have been fortunate to have had the priviledge and pleasure of watching Rugby League when it was a proper game.

Every point made is spot on. I do still go quite often because my lad plays amateur and we enjoy a pint or two before a match but there are many days when it seems a drudge rather than a pleasure.

The lack of promotion/relegation will be the final nail in the coffin for the game IMHO, but then when has The RFL ever used any common sense?

Thanks Geoff and Gargoyle. I appreciate the points you have made.



The promotion and relegation to Super League issues are very valid. The situation we have at the moment also breeds disloyalty because any player currently playing in the Championship, who is good enough to play in Super League must move clubs to fulfil their ambition to play at the top level. [iThey could well be past it before they get a chance with their present Championship club![/i



Promotion and relegation should be an integral part of any competitive sport.



Scrums are a farce now. The only positive reason I can see for keeping them is that when the ball comes out of the scrum, the attacking side has slightly more space to operate in than if if was a simple handover, with the defence set in their normal way. Saying that, the old "feeding" rule used to come in for some stick as the refs didn't consistently apply the same slide rule definitions at every put in. I think that the "feeding" rule is still actually written in the RL rules but all the refs choose to ignore it.



I've always enjoyed watching the Dons whether it was on a glue pot at Tattersfield, or the summer rugby we have now. I don't like much of the rugby politics but I try to distance myself from that side of things and not let it spoil my enjoyment.



I respect the game will never be the same to you, Geoff. The only thing I perhaps don't have the same views as you on is that I don't find today's rugby predictable or boring. The strength battles up front amongst the forwards are compelling, whilst the open field battles with the backs are exciting; coupled with the varying challenges faced by the half-backs in the kicking department.



Seeing Mark Castle carry four men on his back as he made vital yards forward was great; the pace of Tom Hodson on the wing ... give him the ball and he's gone! It's still exciting to me!



But what would rugby be without the Dons? Maybe the game wouldn't have the same appeal to me because it's my loyalty to Doncaster and attachment to the Dons that really makes watching rugby fun.

Good post Double Movement , Geoff has some valid points but the players are quicker , fitter & thats just the props !

2 excellent posts from geoff and DM.at 61 years of age i can see the point of veiw of geoff wishing to see some of the old battles witnessed at tattersfield return.my old a very much missed mate kev parkhouse was an idea example of the 100% give all forward of yesteryear,and i must admit in effort mark castle reminds me of him.as DM points out there is still a lot of plus,s in todays game.sundays game was a very entertaining game,barring the result i enjoyed it.a nice chip and chase try even you geoff would have enjoyed.the politics in todays game is what spoils it.if it aint broken dont mend it,so what do they do yep"lets see what the aussies do",we cant even play to the same rules now unless its the aussie version.so to end the rambling just concentrate on the positives geoff sod the politics and just give it a little chance you never know you might enjoy it.we have got a good young side who have shown they can play some nice football.coyd

Thanks for your reply Double Movement when did you first start watching Rugby League? The forward battles today are very tame compared to what they used to be the game was much more physical no prisoners were taken then.

There is far too much aimless kicking in todays game the majority of kicks go straight to there opponents hands when you next watch a match on TV count how many kicks there are during in a game you will be suprised just how many there are, we used to be critical about Rugby Union for the amount of kicking they did in there games Rugby League is running them very close now.



Regarding Weighmans comments about todays players being fitter & faster i can't understand if they are so fit why the majority of props have to be subbed before the first 20 minutes is up they have had three or four drives and done a few tackles but they haven't had to do any pushing & shoving in the scrums to win the ball. Super League teams are up in arms if they have to play two games in a week. Perhaps Paul you have forgotten the Dons had one of the fastest props in the rugby league who regulary ran half the length of the field to score a try.

Rugby is different today but it is still as exciting, absorbing and addictive as ever.

The guys are athletes now, very, very fast and mobile.

Pie-munchers are almost a thing of the past.



I just can't see what the problem is. Being able to adapt and move on is the key to modern living and modern rugby.

Get busy living or get busy dying!!!

It's as simple as that.



I won't be here forever, in fact a lot less than forever.

So I will watch the Dons as long as I have the means to get there.

It's more than an interest it's a mission.



There is nothing quite like it sports-wise, short of competing in it.

COYD

My Father in Law, like Geoff, is from an era of the game where the Forwards were very dominate and like Geoff says, the Dons were blessed with some decent talent and some very hard men. There was no turnover after six plays, it got turned over if you coughed it up or penalised etc. Hence no reliance on the kicking game that Geoff refers too. I have no opinion on the old style, I just feel that RL is still a game for men and would not want to give it up (spectator wise) for any other sport. I'm sure that with that top coaching course that TM has just finished (and a big well done) the Dons are in good hands for the next stages of the games development.

Of course the rules dictate there as to be kicking in the game what I'm saying is there is far too much kicking. If you watch some videos of the Dons games from the Sheridan & Fisher period you will notice there is far less kicking of the ball a lot of the tries were created by throwing the ball about and playing good open fast rugby.

The game today seems to be five drives then the predictable kick which most of the time the ball goes straight to the opponents hands I find this very boring perhaps it would be better if they could limit the number of kicks it might make for more adventurous and exciting open rugby.

I first started watching the Dons at Tattersfield with my Dad in the early 1970s. I've many fond memories from the early days. A friend of mine used to work with Stewart Piper in the mid 1970s. I remember helping him out in arranging some events for Stewart's testimonial.



Kevin Parkhouse was one of my all time favourites, and who could forget those runs of Tony Banham?



The last match my Dad saw was a Wednesday night match in September 1987 when we beat Batley at home ... one of the few victories in that era! My Dad sadly died three days later.



I hope your enthusiasm for the game might come back one day, Geoff. We have got a decent squad together for this season.

Yes Geoff, get yourself and Steve down to the Keepmoat again.

To be honest S-O I did toy with the idea of coming down on Sunday, but I am in the throws of planning a wedding and that kind of over took my day.



I may venture down for one home game this season as I did last (was vs Swinton last time) and see if I can rekindle the feeling.



As I said before in a previous thread the day at Warrington where people walked away from the club really did for me, I've not felt the same about the Dons since then.

Steve,



I thought your MUM and DAD were married.

Yes that was a sad day for the Dons Steve but hey ho life goes on !



I did mean the Warrington day

I was refering to my own big day Richard





Life does go on Paul but it really knocked my interest in the sport as a whole for 6, I think since that day I've watched no more than 4-5 games either live or on TV.



I do agree with my Dad's points tho we just dont seem to have much craft or guile in our game these days.....not many teams seem to make the ball do the work as it were.

Yes it was a kick in the teeth that day at Warrington after getting promoted to have the Chairman and Coach virtually rag it all in.

I don't blame either of them though, they had to leave since we had lived beyond our means. I thought Harrison and Ellery were good blokes nevertheless.

Then the following season was a disaster because all our class players left and we had to play more away games because of the Rovers redoing the pitch.



But things have changed and we are entering a new fresher era and there is a lot to be hopeful about, not least Paul Cooke guiding us to promotion (goodness I hope he doesn't get injured).

Two good results against better (theoretically) opposition has left us in good shape confidence-wise and if I am hopeful then every one should be hopeful.





In both games we have tried to play attacking rugby, not always with success, but certainly entertaining.

The choir were in good voice on Sunday and that is a good sign.



My favourite, as a repost to some annoying Eagles fans (with the drummer), was .....

''Give me an E'' ..........E!!

''Give me an e''...........e!!

''Give me an e'' ..........e!!

''Give me an e'' ...........e!!

''Give me an e'' ...........e!!

''Give me an e'' ...........e!!

''And what have you got?'' .................Eeeeee!!

It tickled me.



Anyway the rugby is well worth watching.

Get yourself down sooner rather than later.