No action taken over incident Andy Last said warranted a yellow card after star left injured

Castleford Tigers suffered their eighth defeat of the season as Andy Last’s first game as permanent head coach of the Tigers ended in a 12-7 defeat.

Speaking after the game, he noted a significant moment that contributed to their defeat in the shape of losing Joe Westerman:

“Yeah it was hugely significant. I thought it was a physical contact with a head knock straight in the face so obviously he couldn’t continue.

“He gives us organisation in the middle of the field and we’re a better team when he is on the field.”

Later Last would talk to BBC Radio Leeds where he bemoaned the lack of consistency around these tackles which ended Westerman’s night.

Last said: “He is fairly shaken up but is okay.

“They need to check for facial fractures because it was a hefty challenge and definitely a key moment in the game.

“Joe was really important for us and organising those shapes which were threatening them and then has to go off due to a rugby league collision rather than foul play.”

“With all the talk about the concussion protocols and protecting people, it was a direct head into the face. You can talk about the timing all you want but the head hit Joe straight in the face.

“Last year where blokes were getting sin-binned for that. Kane isn’t a malicious player but it was a hefty challenge and probably warranted spending 10 minutes in the sin bin.

“It’s the fact that in the first half Liam Watts spends 10 minutes in the sin bin for a push on Jordan Abdull and the same consequence isn’t given to Kane.

“It’s a strange one but that’s the way it is.”

The tackle came from Kane Linnett and yielded a penalty after a thunderous clash but Sky Sports pundits Barrie McDermott and Terry O’Connor were flabbergasted that there was a penalty for what they said was “a good tackle” in a very different opinion to Last.

The match review panel tend to agree with the Sky pundits with Linnett not charged nor cited in the minutes.