www.rugby-league.com/article/366 ... view-panel

www.rugby-league.com/article/366 ... view-panel

Don’t remember seeing that many in one week for a long time, some big bans in there.

Thought Bentley would get more to be honest. Can't complain about Holmes getting the same as Dwyer, although it's always strange to see bans after a sin-binning. This suggests the Dwyer late hit and the Holmes high tackle were both sending off offences.

I expect we'll see Longstaff in the 17 this week?

Harsh on Dwyer. I get the crack down on that style of contact but it was pretty low risk and low impact. I would have through a sin bin would be sufficient.

Seems like Agar had inadvertently missed Ganson’s comms pre-season. We knew this sort of thing was going to be clamped down on, but both Dwyer and Prior made hits they weren’t committed to after the ball had gone. Both coincidentally on our most experienced half-back. Seemed like he was the target in he game plan.

If you watch the replay the proper way to do it was shown in the contact immediately after the Prior hit on Widdop… not sure who the Leeds player was but Walker releases the ball and relaxes, so the Leeds tackler relaxes, still making contact but loosely wrapping the arms around Walker without making the ‘hit’.

If discipline isn't clamped down by coaches & injury protocols are getting extended ,some clubs could find themselves with pretty sp squads at critical times.

I don't think the sport can risk not taking some pretty strong action on changing the way the game is played in terms of head contact / late contact. I don't think this will be like in previous years where they are hot on a topic for a month and then it falls away.

Wire are appealing Holmes ban.

I think they need to start acting appropriately to the incident. Napa was the bad one this week, he should be having the book thrown at him. He's got a grade 'D' which entitles him to a panel hearing I believe, where he'll thrown a load of mitigating factors in, like having a bad week and missing his cat in Australia. He could walk away with a 3 game ban and a £300 fine. IMO that kind of deliberate head shot with an illegal technique should carry 6-8 games and a proper fine, say £2,000.

You do still have to worry about consistency though with the RFL. They don't have a great track record with this with previous initiatives/crack downs.

The other thing they need to do is start banning and fining coaches for trying to influence disciplinary decisions. McNamara this week post game and in the days after exonerating Napa, saying it clearly bounced up off the ball and wasn't a bad challenge for example. Willie Poaching has also had a pop this week about the new rules.

Napa's incident was against Saints so he will be punished properly. Bentleys was worse because of the swinging arm IMO but both bans should be upheld FWIW. I didn't see Connors though so can't comment. Bentley will start to get proper bans and cards now he isn't in a saints shirt.

I don't like the coaches getting involved to put pressure on the disciplinary panel and I don't like pundits etc saying playing against 12 ruins the spectacle for fans. Fact of the matter is if players stay disciplined then it will always be 13 v 13 if cards and bans aren't used the discipline will never improve, players will get concussion and the rfl will get more early onset dementia cases against it in the future.

You reckon there's a bias in Saints favour and against Leeds

Leeds?

Bentley was never more than a wind up merchant at Saints. Lots of little indisgretions, but nothing really worth a prolonged ban. He was never sent off for Saints either I don't think.

Bentley's wasn't worse than Napa's either. Napa was direct contact with the head with the point of the shoulder with no attempt to wrap his arms. Just as bad as it gets that one. Bentley's was more of a sly dig in comparison, against a player he has a known grudge against. Look back at the Saints v Wire games last season, those two are at it constantly. Probably only a 1 game ban as he's got a very clean previous disciplinary record.

How many games for saints, zero red cards, 15 minutes for Leeds 1 red card! Couldn't that be considered as something which of proves my point. Bentley is a grub, he always has been.

Swinging arm with closed fist to the head I think I can agree its as bad as napa but don't see napas as being worse really.

I'd rather not see Napa or Bentley at all this season. They both have history for doing this sort of rubbish and if they or their coaches can't sort them out then good riddance, as they aren't doing the sport any favours going forward.

connor's is on twitter, he got stepped and gave someone a stiff hand to the face, considering he's got form, he's very lucky

Hit the nail on the head with that comment.was more of a sly dig..wonder where he developed that

I see Holmes got an extra game for a daft appeal. Early days but on track to match Lineham's games-to-suspensions ratio.

The club appealed though, not Holmes who plead guilty. I don’t think any club will have a case with head contact from now on. Better get used to it.

I don’t think Holmes had a bad rep at Cas for time off, so I’d hope he doesn’t do a Lineham here. It was a lazy challenge but no intent.

Should have just copped the initial ban. I have no problem with that really so long as they're consistent though the season with these.

I see Bentley also got an extra game for a frivolous appeal, that wouldn't have happened if he was still at saints, he would have got a reductionwhikst sat in the extra comfy chairs in the Tommy makinson suite at RFL HQ. Be interesting to see what happens when saints players make high shots this season especially if it's makinson, great player he really is but he doesn't half get some lenient treatment especially when compared to Lineham. The different bans for squirrel grips a few years back were ridiculous especially when makinsons had full evidence on sky cameras.

Have watched TV games at both senior levels I think we are going to have to live with inconsistent decisions on and off the field. In the Leigh TV game even the commentators could not see why a great smother tackle was penalised and Currie gets warning for what? Nothing changes.

If there's consistency great, I don't mean them spotting every single one and binning players that's not inconsistency but human error. However if there's zero tolerance now there should be zero tolerance in the play offs and finals.

I think we have heeded the instructions from the refs well and have a big chunk of our cap in Williams and widdop this offers them a tad more protection. Leeds on the other hand did not listen to the refs and targeted our halfs with lazy cheap shots and got pinged for it.

https://rugby-league.com/article/36694/ ... view-panel One match ban for McIlorum. Nothing for us.

https://rugby-league.com/article/36694/ ... view-panel One match ban for McIlorum. Nothing for us.

McIlorum is one of Cats most important influential players, and also provides a bit of their aggression. This helps us, as I’m not aware of a decent backup hooker in their squad.

They will also still be down by a couple of props due to suspension (Napa and Dudson). They will still be our biggest test to date but it is very welcome news all the same.

No disciplinary actions on us (and Holmes will be available once more). I haven't heard any updates re Currie (sternum) or Ratchford and Cooper (both rib). Hopefully all fit and available by Friday, also fingers crossed the Widdop has recovered from illness and that nobody else has caught it.

A two-game ban for Faraimo is ludicrous. It shouldn't have even been a penalty, in my opinion. The HKR player dropped to the floor just as Faraimo came in, and he then appeared to make an air tackle rather than any real contact. Even if he had hit the HKR player, I don't think it would have been a high shot. I'm all for player protection, but there's a hint of the Witchsmeller Pursuivant about the disciplinary committee at present, and it's just a matter of time before Wire are on the wrong end of a similar crazy call.