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Old pals in rival camps
TWO former Doncaster Rugby League Club teammates will play against each other for the first time at professional level in Sunday's South Yorkshire Championship derby at Featherstone.
Craig Lawton and former skipper Pete Green have played together since their junior days at Toll Bar and have always been good friends.
But come Sunday afternoon they will both put their friendship on hold for 80 minutes. in the South Yorkshire derby as Green lines up for new club Sheffield Eagles.
"Sheffield will be looking to avenge their defeat when we played them at Don Valley Stadium at the start of the league season," said Lawton.
"They'll no doubt be fancying their chances in view of the problems that we have been having.
"But, with it being a derby, hopefully we can get ourselves up for it and give them a game."
Green's decision to join the Eagles last month came as a big surprise to many Doncaster fans, but not to Lawton.
"We speak to each other most days so I kind of knew what was happening before it became public knowledge," he said.
"It was a very hard decision for Pete to make but he had to put his family first when the club cut the players' payments."
Green took in the Dons' 70-6 defeat against Batley.
"It wasn't easy to watch, to be honest," he said. "You don't want to see your former club get beat by that score against a team just above them in the table.
"You just feel for the coaching staff and the players who are trying so hard and not knowing whether they'll still be a club next season."
"I was there when the club went bust in 2007 but there was always light at the end of the tunnel. This time I don't see that; That's one of the reasons I'm not there any more.
"I think subsequent events have shown I made the right decision. It would have been more difficult had Doncaster started doing well.
"I've still got the team at heart and Doncaster is still the first result that I look for.
"It is going to be tough playing against them on Sunday if I'm selected."
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Weather for Sheffield
Friday 10 February 2012
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