Coventry Bears 10 Doncaster RLFC 54: Tali celebrates ton up with hat-trick

Centre Jason Tali celebrated his 100th game at senior level with a hat-trick as Doncaster RLFC romped to a 54-10 Betfred League One win over Coventry Bears.
Dons' Jason TaliDons' Jason Tali
Dons' Jason Tali

The former PNG international was one of a number of Doncaster players playing in their third game in eight days on the hottest day of the year at Broadstreet RUFC.

Tali struck after just four minutes forcing his way over from acting half-back after winger Sam Doherty had been held just short from his pass.

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Tali scored another close-range try from a clever off-load by scrum-half Matty Beharrell.

The half-back picked up an injury in the build-up and was replaced by Australian utility man Jordie Hedges with loose-forward Dean Hadley taking over his organisational role.

Hull teammate Kieran Buchanan, who went on to finish with 22 points, took over the kicking duties to make it 10-0 after 19 minutes.

With skipper Ryan Boyle and fellow prop Jack Brown both getting through a lot of work, Doncaster continued to dominate the forward exchanges.

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But a Coventry side which had four men on debut, cut the deficit to just four points.

Full-back Elliott Hall broke Buchanan’s tackle as he sprinted in from close range for his tenth try of the season after teenage winger Kieron Lawton had fumbled a high kick by Sanderson, who also added the extras.

The Dons regained their ten-point advantage when Buchanan handed off a defender and raced in from 10m out for a try he also converted.

Hedges kept the scoreboard ticking over when he side-stepped a couple of defenders after breaking from acting half-back ten metres out on 37 minutes.

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Trailing 20-6 at the break, Bears conceded a fifth try within two minutes of the restart – Tali powering his way past several defenders out wide before racing in unopposed to score near enough for Buchanan to add the extras.

Doncaster prop Russ Spiers and Coventry’s Jack Daynes were both sent off on 53 minutes following a scuffle.

A strong run by second half substitute Richard Owen on his return from a lengthy injury lay-off created the position from which stand-off Watson Boas committed the Coventry defence before sending prop Connor Scott racing over from 20m out.

Boas elected to go himself from acting half-back following a good run by Brad Foster, kicking past two defenders and regathering the ball to score his seventh try in eight games for the club.

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Hedges bagged his second try in the 70th minute after wrong-footing his immediate marker and then outpacing the cover.

Buchanan weighed in with another converted try to bring up the 50-point mark following good work by Hadley and Tali.

Lawton notched his first try at senior level on 76 minutes after turning Hall inside out following a clever offload by Connor Bower.

The home side completed the scoring with a late try.

Dons: Buchanan, Lawton, Bower, Tali, Doherty, Boas Beharrell, Brown, Kesik, Boyle, Foster, Hodgson, Hadley. Rep: Hedges, Scott, Spiers, Owen.

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