Huddersfield Giants boss Ian Watson, alongside Leeds Rhinos, Hull FC and Wakefield Trinity stars, has landed himself in trouble with the RFL.

Alongside a fellow Super League Head Coach, Watson has suffered punishment at the hands of the RFL after the conclusion of the 2023 Super League season which has seen his Huddersfield side miss out on the play offs after a third place finish in 2022.

Three Super League players, and two head coaches, have been fined for recent breaches of the Operational Rules relating to criticism of match officials.

Luke Gale of Wakefield Trinity, Sam Lisone of Leeds Rhinos and Jake Trueman of Hull FC have each been fined £500, with £250 suspended until the end of the 2024 season, for breaching Operational Rules D1:1 (b) – Improper Conduct, and C2.10 – Behaviour Standards.

In each case, the criticism appeared on social media.

Letters to the players include the following explanation: “Please be aware that your position in the game as a Super League player clearly gives you significant standing within the sport and you should be more considered when discussing such matters.”

Salford’s head coach Paul Rowley has been fined £4,000 – £2,500 of which is suspended until the end of the 2024 season – for his comments following the Betfred Super League fixture against St Helens on August 6.

Huddersfield’s head coach Ian Watson has been fined £500, suspended until the end of the 2024 season, for his comments following a Betfred Super League fixture at St Helens on August 13.

Watson’s fine comes for the following comments:

“The Joe Greenwood one, we played St Helens and had a man sent off at Magic weekend when we had a shoulder from Walmsley directly in the head of Greenwood in that game,” he said on BBC Radio Leeds.

“We’ve had one today from, I don’t know if it’s the young kid, who’s gone straight through and shoulders directly in the face of Joe Greenwood. Joe Greenwood’s then pushed out and I think he has caught him with the elbow from the video thing, he’s kind of pushed out, but it’s not a malicious one.

“So he’s been sent off on the back of that after when we should have really had a penalty and then you look in that situation I’ve just seen it back on video there, for me I’d like the match review to have a little look at what Morgan Knowles is doing with his head after going down to the floor as well.

“For me you’ve got Joe Greenwood who has been directly hit in the face, we had Joe Greenwood directly hit in the face at Magic never got any penalties got concussed and got took off against that line magic. This game here he’s been sent off because he’s been lashed out and then you talk about players feeling protected, well that’s not protecting players when they’re getting whacked straight in the face and they’re the ones who are getting kind of concussed on the back of it.”