I know some have commented on the match thread but I think it warrants its own topic.

I went to my first Wire game some sixty years ago, sat in the old wooden stand with my nan. (Grandad was working so I got his ticket). I've seen some really dirty players - Joe Price, Mike Nicholas, Rathbone etc. Some of what they did was bad, even by the standards that prevailed at that time, but what Dudson did was beyond acceptable today. I just don't want Warrington to be associated with the bloke, though he holds a contract.

My view, which I fully expect to be derided, is that whatever ban is handed out, the club should extend it. So if he gets ten matches, the club extends it to (say) twelve. His action isn't acceptable to rugby fans and the club needs to demonstrate that it doesn't wish to be associated with such behaviour.

Why, as a club, would you want to handicap yourself by imposing a further suspension on him?

Yes, by all means fine him, transfer list him, offer him in a swap to other clubs or whatever, but leaving yourself short and weakened squad-wise makes no sense, as it just penalises the rest of the players who are putting up a decent effort this season.

Grade E 4-6 matches hmm

I’m more in the fist-push rather than an actual punch. 4 to 6 games seem appropriate. He didn’t even hurt Johnstone with it.

Great, no Dudson or Philbin. At least Smithies has a ban and I assume Cooper will miss the game but we’re looking awfully thin at prop.

I'm disappointed that Cooper will miss out, could have been his last match at the HJ.

Regarding dudsons ban, I don't have a problem whatsoever how long it is, so long as if a saints player (or players from any other club, just saints have been getting preferential treatment for the same offences for ages) does similar they get the same length ban.

I'd be surprised if they didn't go for the full 6 based on the current hot topic of brain injuries. Hopefully the grade E is a recognition that it wasn't a full-blooded punch to the head, rather a cheap shot jab at the neck and shoulder (not that it makes it any less of a stupid thing to do). Looking at all these these potential grade D/E's for causing actual injuries though, it sort of makes a mockery of McGuire's grade F for using the term 'sp*z'.

Agree about the grading, McGuire gets 7 for use of a word and Knowles will get max 3 for potentially ending a player’s career, sorry that’s just nuts.

It wasn’t a real punch though… 4-6 is sufficient for what he actually did.

People making out like it was Flowers, when it was nothing close.

It makes not difference if Duds gets 4 games, 6 or 16…
Because he won’t be first pick when he is eligible by then anyway.
So there’s little point in being concerned what he gets. It won’t make a scrap of difference.

Not having sky i haven't seen the tackle yet ,just heard some radio comments about it. Hopefully catch it on the SL show.
It shows the value though of avoiding signing hot heads & penalty machines when we play a sport with limited squad depth.

We got him cheap I'm guessing.
That Smirk and his tongue out will finish his first 17 for aling, ling time, I hope.

If you saw it and it was 2015, you’d think ‘oh that’s a Westwood style stupid strike (a la grand final Wigan)’, but it’s 2023 and stuff like that is going to be dealt with very seriously. That’s why it’s caused a bit of outrage on here. Nothing particularly harmful in reality, but punishable with a big ban.

Smithies is a big loss for Wigan.

Almost like he wanted to be banned…

Dudson I mean

It's one of the most bizzarre weird things i've seen for awhile. Johnstone is tackled, we've won and are dominant in that tackle. Johnstone shouts and Dudson throws a punch at him lay prone on the ground. It's utterly bizzarre, i hope he gets a lengthy ban the muppet.
4 props down now, didn't think we'd be in this situation so soon ha ha
Ahh well Vaughan and McGuire to start, With Kasiano on the bench with Thomas and Green possibly? And possibly Bullock, but i'm not holding my breath on him. Will see what happens on Friday

Grade E - 4 to 6 match ban.
It does make you wonder if they've got the balance right when Josh gets 7 match ban for verbal abuse.

It's not as if Johnstone was in a position to thrown a punch back.

Ben Flower was banned for 6 months for punching Lance Hohaia when prone on the floor in the GF back in 2014.
Different in the sense that the force of the punch was significantly harder and iirc it knocked Hohaia out.

Nevertheless it makes you wonder........

Well, Flower punched Hohaia twice. The first one knocked him out and the second was when he was already unconscious on the floor.

So even though Dudson's was bad, they don't compare really.

Punch is a punch or do we grade them now.

I disagree. Punching someone full force when their head is on the ground so nowhere to go is inherently far more dangerous than a punch when standing or with no real force.
So yes there are gradations.

It was a bit of a strange punch. Basically it looked like into his neck & not very hard (mind you I didn't receive it). Nothing at all like Flower's punch.

I don’t bet but is there a market for, say, a player to get a red card in a match or in a half?
Just asking.

It was such a strange incident it does make you think a bit.