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Title: Doncaster Lakers Subtitle: Stankevitch To Lead Dons In New Era Author: Tom Walters  ID & Publication: 20070611034 ~ The-Villager.co.uk  Area: Doncaster  Subject: Sport (Local)

Doncaster Rugby League Club have announced former St Helens star John Stankevitch as the man to lead their team into a new era.

27 year old Stankevitch joins the club having lead the Widnes Vikings Senior Academy team to eight straight victories so far this season, following a Grand Final appearance last year and despite their success, sees his future with the Dons: ‘From a personal point of view, this job gives me a great chance of furthering my career. It’s an ideal partnership. The staff and players are all on the same wavelength as myself and the Chief Executive tells me I have full control of the team in terms of recruitment and selection.

Having left the Vikings who sit proudly at the top of the Co-operative National League 1 and also the Senior Academy division, John is not moving to South Yorkshire for League 2 Rugby:

‘The initial aim is to maintain our place in this division. I’m confident enough in the ability of the players at the club and the recruits we will be bringing in to say we have a good chance of staying up. Players who will be brought in to Doncaster have to want to play for this club, I can’t stress it enough, and we want players who have a desire to represent Doncaster.’

During a playing career which included two Super League Grand Finals, two Challenge Cup Finals and 3 World Club Challenge Finals whilst representing St Helens, John has seen most there is to see in the game and would arguably have been a star of the Super League today had his career not have been tragically ended with a shoulder injury whilst playing for his home town club, Widnes in 2005.

Having such a distinguished career at the Saints, John rates one of his former bosses at Knowsley Road as the best he played under during his career, he said: ‘Not meaning to disrespect anyone, and I’ve had a number of good coaches in my time, I look up to Ian Millward the most as he brought such a professional attitude to Saints and had a really good attitude towards the players.’

John’s first game in charge will be on Sunday 1st of July, where South Yorkshire rivals, Sheffield Eagles travel to the Keepmoat Stadium, kick off 3pm.

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