Thornton pleased with Donny’s effort

Doncaster head coach Gary Thornton believes his team’s spirited performance at Leeds on Friday will stand them in good stead for the rest of the season.

The League 1 side struggled to cope with the Rhinos during the early part of the fifth round Challenge Cup tie, but eventually found their feet to run in six tries during a 64-28 defeat.

“At 16-0 down I was fearing the worst, but they showed a great reaction and grew into the game,” said Thornton.

“We were possibly guilty of giving them too much respect early on – we were a bit stage-struck, but once we got into the swing of it, we showed what we’re all about.

“We’ve been down in the dumps after a couple of poor performances and we tried to come here in a positive mood.

“To come out and win the second half was very creditable. The boys enjoyed the occasion and hopefully they will take a huge amount out of it.

“To score that many points against a Super League side I think will give them a huge lift and we’ve got to use that to kick-start our season.

“Our main aim to get out of League 1 and, if we play with the same kind of intensity and enthusiasm it will bode well for us.”