Depleted Dons slump to 10-try Leigh defeat

The league leaders had too much pace for the home side, with winger Liam Kay, who spent much of the 2013 campaign playing for Doncaster on a dual-registration deal, scoring four tries.

Ryan Brierley also proved a thorn in the side of a Doncaster side still looking to get off the mark this season, with his blistering pace bringing him a brace.

Any hopes the Dons may have entertained of emulating last season’s success, were soon dashed as Leigh raced into a match-winning lead in the first quarter.

To be fair to the home side, who have yet to produce the form which took them to fourth place last season, they lacked player-coach Paul Cooke and had just one dual-registered player (young prop Bobby Tyson-Wilson).

But even if Cooke, and Richard Wilkinson – yet to play this season – had been available, the outcome would still more than likely have been a defeat such is the quality of this Leigh side who led 26-6 at the break.

To their credit, Doncaster never threw in the towel and there were several good individual performances with Mike Emmett bagging a brace of close-range tries.

There was also a late try for winger Sam Doherty who had an otherwise difficult afternoon, as others will no doubt have this season, facing the fleet-footed Kay.

Doncaster: Scott, Doherty, Cowling, Waterman, Sanderson, Holt, Kittrick, Robinson, Kesik, Waller, Kelly, Snitch, Carbutt. Substitutes: Dunn, Emmett, Spiers, Tyson-Wilson.

Leigh: McNally, Pownall, Worthington, Armstrong, Kay, Ridyard, Brierley, Emmitt, Penkywicz, Wilkes, Haggerty, Dixon, Barlow. Substitutes: Beswick, Spencer, Hopkins, Acton.

Referee: J Bloem (RFL).