REPORT | Dons 46 Oldham RLFC 18

The Dons motored to an eight-try victory in the Betfred Championship, bringing Oldham RLFC's 17-game winning run to an end at the Club Doncaster Sports Village.

Richard Horne's side started strong on home soil and deservedly led at the break thanks to tries from Isaac Misky, Bureta Faraimo and Edene Gebbie.

Gebbie scored another two tries in the second half to make it a hat-trick for himself, while debutant Mikeaele Ravalawa also scored twice and Watson Boas added another successful effort to confirm a dominant win, another two points and a third consecutive league win.
Horne made four changes to the side that convincingly beat Batley Bulldogs nine days earlier, with new signings Harvey Horne and Ravalawa handed spots inside the starting XIII, as well as Misky and Jacob Jones. Tyla Hepi and Connor Jones were both reintroduced to the Dons action among the interchanges.
The Dons got off to a perfect start and took the lead after just six minutes. The hosts powered forward and found Misky, who bundled his way over the line beneath the uprights. Robinson added the extras.
Five minutes later, Horne's men found a 40/20 on the left and utilised it to great effect to score again on 13 minutes. The Dons went out right and managed to find Faraimo, who smashed his way through a number of Oldham players to reach over the line and score. Robinson converted. 12-0.
On 16 minutes, the Dons defensive line had to hold firm and eventually saw the visitors turn the ball over just a matter of yards out from the try-line.
The hosts looked to have gotten themselves into a promising position to score their third try of the day two minutes later when Gebbie broke clear to race away, but his resulting pass saw the football fall into Roughyeds arms.
Oldham found a way back into the game off of the back of that mistake after 21 minutes. The visitors went to the left and found Jack Walker, who found his way in on the left. Morgan Smith added the extras.
The Roughyeds were level on the scoreboard on half an hour. The ball got moved out to the left again, and, again, Walker was on hand to this time make it a personal brace for himself. Smith converted. 12-12.
The Dons were, however, determined to go into the interval ahead. And they did just that as Gebbie bundled off of the only Oldham man in front of him to break through and then score behind the posts after coming back inside. Robinson added the extras again.
Horne's men went close on a number of occasions to furthering their lead before the half time hooter, but no attack came to fruition and Robinson missed a penalty on the stroke of half time to leave the scoreline at 18-12 after the opening 40 minutes.
That would be as close as Oldham got on the afternoon as the hosts blew the visitors away after the interval.
On 47 minutes, the Dons went over to the left and found Gebbie, who slotted through an open gap to complete his personal brace for the day with ease. Robinson converted again.
The Dons were motoring on and furthered their lead six minutes later. The home side looked out to the right-hand side, and Boas left every Oldham man in the dust to race away and score. 28-12.
Horne's men were in no mood for settling and scored again after 57 minutes. A fantastic, sweeping move from right to left saw Boas produce a precise, low kick, and it bobbled into the grasp of Ravalawa, who rolled in to find the try-line for a marking of the scoresheet on his Dons debut. Robinson added the extras again.
Matters got even better for the host on 69 minutes. They moved it around superbly, and Gebbie took on the ball to swoop in with ease and make it a hat-trick for himself. Robinson converted again. 40-12.
The home side carried on their assault of the Oldham line into the final ten minutes and crossed for the eighth time of the afternoon after 78 minutes. Gebbie produced another smart move and passed into Ravalawa, who bounced on to the football and scored again to find his own personal brace from out on the left wing. Robinson added the extras once again. The Dons were now 34 points in front.
The outcome of the game was already out of all reasonable doubt, but Oldham carried on their search for a second half consolation try and found one in the final minute of the 80. Walker found a gap to the right, sliced through it and carried the ball back inside to score directly behind the sticks.
There was still time for one last moment of note, as Faraimo was sin-binned and the Dons finished the game with 12-men, but also with a 46-18 scoreline and win to hand.
Dons: Gebbie, Faraimo, Boas, Horne, Ravalawa, Whitehead, Robinson, Knowles, Misky, Mustapha, Sutcliffe, Johnson, J. Jones. Interchanges: Matagi, McConnell, C. Jones, Hepi.