Doncaster head coach Tony Miller said victory against lowly Hunslet Hawks was the club’s biggest win so far this season.
The Dons were coming into their home match against their Leeds counterparts on the back of two Championship defeats and a loss in the Northern Rail Cup.
And Hunslet themselves were keen to reverse their fortunes and improve on their second from bottom position in the league as the two sides clashed at the Keepmoat on Sunday.
Dons, who just days ago announced head coach Miller will step down at the end of the season, showed their intent early on as a scramble in the corner eventually saw Stewart Sanderson touch down and covert his kick.
Sanderson later added the extras when Matty Dawson crashed over for 12-0.
However, those early points seemed to galvanize Hunslet who hit back with tries from Liam Hood, Stuart Kain and Liam Welham. The faultless kicking of David March throughout saw them go into the interval 18-12 up.
“I thought we maybe started too well and then we let them pinch a try to come back into the game,” Miller said.
“We just didn’t switch on which I thought was disappointing.”
A March penalty minutes after the restart for Hunslet saw Doncaster begin a strong comeback which started with the try of the game from a sublime solo run from Liam Kay.
Kyle Trout and Mike Emmett added further scores as Sanderson was again ruthless with the boot.
Hunslet did have the final say through a Jimmy Keinhorst try and March conversion, however, Dons powered home for a much-needed win.
“The intensity of our players probably paid dividends,” Miller added.
“Our desire was a little bit more than theirs and we got home so I’m really pleased with that.
“It’s the biggest game for both teams this year. It was massive.
“They had a real go - they’re going to with players like David March, I think he’s a player with a never-say-die attitude.
“They had a go, fair play to them but I’m just glad we did enough to get over the line.”