Hull FC head coach Brett Hodgson reveals the reason the club didn’t appeal Jake Connor’s ban

Jake Connor was sent from the field in Hull FC’s 16-12 victory over Wakefield Trinity after referee Marcus Griffiths believed the fullback had hit the breaking Lee Gaskell round the head with intent.

Gaskell had made a break, and, with Connor the last man in defence, he caught him high.

However, Hull FC head coach Brett Hodgson believed it was a yellow in the light of the current rules, but Connor was banned for one game following the Disciplinary Match Review Panel’s report on Monday night.

And, now Hodgson has revealed that the club had a good reason that they didn’t appeal the ban, after the examples set with James Bentley and Oliver Holmes.

“I think the game is going down a path where us coaches need to make sure our discipline is better,” Hodgson told the Hull Daily Mail in his pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s fixture with St Helens.

“I believe that some of the calls were harsh – I still believe that – but our decision not to fight it was the right one because the boys that went up ended up having another week added to it.

“We’re going to make sure we’re not putting ourselves in positions where we even look like we’re going to get penalised or yellow or red carded.

“We’ll adapt as best we can and hopefully it won’t be an issue moving forward.”