Despite a series of top-of-the-table clashes ahead for Clive Griffiths’ Doncaster Knights, he is refusing to look past the challenge posed by Blaydon this weekend.
The Knights have home advantage against a side who condemned them to the first of their four SSE National League One losses this season back in November.
Fellow high-flyers Esher and Rosslyn Park lie in waiting for Doncaster Knights in March, with the end-of-season run-in set to really heat up.
But Griffiths is looking no further than this weekend and although Doncaster host Blaydon on the back of four straight wins, the Welshman believes their visitors will be a threat throughout – even though they are winless in three.
Griffiths said: “You cannot look further than your next game and that’s Blaydon.
“It might be the oldest cliché in sport but it’s completely true - you have to take your games one after another.
“Blaydon are the next fence we have to climb and if you begin to look too far ahead, you’re going to crash.
“We have three tough home games left and obviously we want to win all of them starting with this one.
“It’s just another game we need to win to get to give ourselves the best chance of finishing in the top spot.
“There is still a long way to go in the season with 35 points on offer and we are aiming to get at least 29 of them.”
Doncaster’s season has been plagued with persistent and long-term injuries with Griffiths remembering a few coming as a result of the reverse fixture back in November,
Michael Walker looks set to return to the squad for Blaydon’s visit though Tom Davies, Ben Hunter and Will Foden are all still missing through various injuries.
Even though these problems are leaving Griffiths with a selection headache, especially in terms of his forwards, he is hoping this concern will ease off in the coming weeks.
“We started off badly and lost a couple of players through injuries last time we played Blaydon before they scored two outstanding tries to be fair to them,” Griffiths added.
“It will be good to get another go at them and if we show the same character from the win over Tynedale then I’m sure we will improve on the previous result.
“We still have problems in the forwards but hopefully we will soon be injury free until the end of the season.
“We have done really well to cope with the issues and be in the position which we are - no one wants to let that slip now.”
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