In the latest of a new series as a part of our match preview line-up, we will be looking at 5 players in the opposition line-up to look out for once they take to the field against the Cougars at the weekend.

We move on to the next edition of the ‘Ones To Watch’ series with Sunday’s opponents at Cougar Park, Doncaster RL.

MATTY BEHARRELL

An extremely familiar face to Cougars fans, the tenacious Matty Beharrell will be looking to secure another victory against his former club this afternoon.

The half-back is well known for his aggression and ability to control a game from the middle of the park and will need to be stopped in his tracks by the Keighley defence early on to not allow him to dictate the pace and direction of the match.

After impressing as a youngster in the Hull Kingston Rovers academy, Beharrell would continue to make his name with both Newcastle and Swinton prior to arriving at Cougar Park ahead of the 2017 season.

Forming a formidable half-back partnership with Benn Hardcastle, only the money issues that troubled the club the following year would see Matty leave and head to Doncaster.

Impressing in his first full season at the Keepmoat, the half-back was rewarded with a place in the League One Team of the Year and a new two-year contract in South Yorkshire.

Since arriving at Doncaster, he has been an integral part of Richard Horne’s squad as they look to regain the spot in the Championship that they lost back in 2015.

One of the divisions leading players in the early part of the 2021 season, an injury sustained in August’s home win over Barrow threatened to end “The Cats” season prematurely.

His return from injury has coincided with the play-offs and he has returned in style by guiding his side to victories over both Hunslet and North Wales.

BRANDON DOUGLAS

Highly sought-after prop Brandon Douglas turned down several Championship offers to join Doncaster following his departure from Castleford.

The 23-year-old was signalled as a statement of intent at the Keepmoat Stadium when attracting Douglas to South Yorkshire ahead of the 2019 season.

Originally on the scholarship system at the Bradford Bulls, Brandon left Odsal at the end of the 2013 season to join the Castleford academy ahead of the 2014 campaign.

His progression in the Tigers academy saw the prop earn stellar reviews and he was rewarded with a two-year deal.

After a stellar academy season in 2016, Douglas was awarded by Daryl Powell at the end of that season’s Super Eights campaign as he made his first-team debut and appeared in the final two games of the year.

Making his professional debut in a heavy defeat at the hands of St Helens, the forward travelled to France the following week and played his part in victory away at the Catalans Dragons.

The following season saw Brandon sent out on two separate loan spells in the Championship with Dewsbury Rams and then Halifax later in the season.

His spell with the Rams brought with it 2 tries in 10 appearances with his spell with Halifax bringing a further 2 tries in 11 appearances at The Shay.

Douglas returned for a further loan spell with Fax in the 2018 season as he helped the side make the top four and qualify for The Qualifiers before signing with Donny after departing The Jungle.

BEN JOHNSTON

A new face to the Dons for this season, Ben Johnston arrives in South Yorkshire on the back of building a reputation as one of the Championship’s standout halves.

Produced by the Castleford youth system, the Ireland international first broke onto the scene in the second tier with an outstanding 2012 season at the York City Knights.

12 tries in 17 appearances caught the eye of the Halifax Panthers, who were quick to snap Johnston up once he became available.

Once arrived at The Shay, he formed a half-back partnership with current Cougar Scott Murrell, and they would carry the Panthers under Richard Marshall’s stewardship to two top four Championship finishes and a Challenge Cup semi-final.

After 49 tries and 123 appearances during his six seasons, the try-scoring back returned to York but did not make a single appearance as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic before making the decision to join Doncaster.

BRAD FOSTER

The Doncaster captain is now into his second spell at the Keepmoat Stadium after returning to South Yorkshire in 2019.

A fearsome back rower who can read the play well in both attack and defence, Foster leads the Dons side by example from the pack.

Originally joining Doncaster in 2015, his impressive performances through the clubs relegation season from the Championship that year earned him a move back into the second tier with Dewsbury before he returned to the Keepmoat via Hunslet after two years away.

His first year back in South Yorkshire was a real standout from a personal point of view as he impressed massively as the club fell just short of making the Grand Final from fourth position after losing in the final eliminator to Newcastle in agonising circumstances.

These performances though would see him land the Man of Steel award at the club’s end of season awards night following the conclusion of the 2019 season and earn a place in the League One team of the season.

He was named as the Dons’ captain by head coach Richard Horne ahead of the curtailed 2020 campaign and his kept the armband for the 2021 season.

In the 2021 season, Foster has been a near ever present for the side as they recovered from a mid-season blip to finish the regular season strongly by securing a fifth-place finish and a place in the play-offs.

ROSS PELTIER

A man who needs no introduction to the Cougars supporters is Ross Peltier, the prop forward now into his second season with the Dons.

The Jamaica international spent four seasons at Cougar Park, breaking into the first team before becoming a regular and capping his time with the club off by being a member of the 2016 iPro Sport Cup winning side in Blackpool.

Big in size, stature, and vocals, Peltier has become a pivotal figure on and off the field since arriving at the Keepmoat Stadium ahead of the 2020 cancelled Covid-19 season.

Coming through the academy system at the Huddersfield Giants, ‘Fam’ arrived at Cougar Park ahead of the 2013 campaign as one of Paul March’s first signings as Head Coach.

Waiting for an opportunity to break into the side, he took that opportunity with both hands midway through the 2014 season as he put in a Man of the Match performance during that season’s Challenge Cup Quarter Final defeat to the Widnes Vikings.

A regular following relegation, he played nearly every game for the club during the 2015 and 2016 season’s and won an iPro Sport Cup medal against York in the process.

He caught the eye of his boyhood club and made the decision to make his dream move to the Bradford Bulls ahead of the 2017 season.

Ross quickly became a cult hero at Odsal as his big hit, big carry, style of play captured hearts and minds of the Bradford faithful and despite relegation through financial difficulties in 2017, he was a key figure in the side that earned promotion back from League One the following year.

Continuing to write his name into club folklore as a member of the team that defeated the Leeds Rhinos in the 2019 Challenge Cup, more financial issues away from the field at Odsal forced his hand and he made the move to Doncaster.

By Joshua Chapman