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One offence, 5 charges, two banned, two fined and one unpunished – here’s why

Seven Super League players have been charged by the match review panel after the Challenge Cup games over the weekend.

Unsurprisingly, Morgan Knowles is among them after his late red card against Halifax Panthers.

He tackled Thomas Inman high in the 79th minute of the cup tie and was shown a red card.

Making matters worse, this was his first game back from a five game suspension after a hip drop tackle on Mike Cooper in the derby between St Helens and Wigan Warriors on Good Friday.

Meanwhile, Hull KR star Rhyse Kennedy is also banned for dangerous contact and the same can be said of Josh Drinkwater of Warrington Wolves who only receives a one match ban despite a Grade C offence.

Jorge Taufua of Wakefield Trinity is the only player who was charged but not punished.

Meanwhile, Marc Sneyd of Salford Red Devils, Josh McGuire of Warrington Wolves and Josh Griffin are all fined £250 in yet another example of the RFL’s focus on fines over bans in 2023.

Following the latest round of Betfred Challenge Cup fixtures, the Match Review Panel have issued the following sanctions:

Morgan Knowles (St Helens) – Grade C High Tackle – 2 Match Penalty Notice
Rhys Kennedy (Hull KR) – Grade B Dangerous Contact – 1 Match Penalty Notice
Jorge Taufua (Wakefield Trinity) – Grade A Dangerous Contact – N/A
Marc Sneyd (Salford Red Devils) – Grade B Dangerous Contact – £250 Fine
Josh McGuire (Warrington Wolves) – Grade A Dangerous Contact – £250 Fine
Josh Drinkwater (Warrington Wolves) – Grade C Dangerous Contact – 1 Match Penalty Notice
Josh Griffin (Hull FC) – Grade A Disputing Decision – £250 Fine

You will once again notice that of the seven charges, five are for dangerous contact which is becoming a common theme.

You may be wondering why these similar offences all carry different punishments.

Well here is what the match review panel had to say about each:

Kennedy – Grade B – One match

“Dangerous Contact – A defending player makes contact with an opponent after the ball has
been released by an opponent in a vulnerable position which causes flexion to the head,
neck or spinal column on an attacking player, which poses an unacceptable risk of injury to
that player.”

Taufua – Grade A – No Punishment

“Dangerous Contact – Dangerous Contact – A defending player makes contact with an
opponent after the ball has been released by an opponent in a vulnerable position which
causes flexion to the head, neck or spinal column on an attacking player, which poses an
unacceptable risk of injury to that player”

Sneyd – Grade B – £250 Fine

“Dangerous Contact – A defending player makes contact with an opponent after the ball has
been released by an opponent in a vulnerable position which causes flexion to the head,
neck or spinal column on an attacking player, which poses an unacceptable risk of injury to
that player.”

“Dangerous Contact – Defender uses any part of their body forcefully to twist, bend or
otherwise apply pressure to the limb or limbs of an opposing player in a way that involves
an unacceptable risk of injury to that player.”

Breakdown:

You will notice that Josh Drinkwater’s offence is different to the rest, the other four all carry the same descriptions.

Drinkwater’s offence has become more common since the clamp down on hip drop tackles and represents a different type of putting a player in danger.

As for the rest, they are all the same offence but two are Grade A and two are Grade B.

This is because of the severity of the danger they have put the player under.

Interestingly, both Grade A offences carry different punishments and the same can be said of the Grade B offences too.

This is likely due to prior records.

It is no secret McGuire has had bans in the past whilst on the wing and away from the feisty action in the middle Jorge Taufua has a better record hence no punishment.

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