Round 18 of the Betfred Super League was a superb round of action with Leeds Rhinos edging a battle royal against play-off rivals Salford Red Devils after a Hull derby which Hull FC edged against Hull KR after Wigan Warriors were stunned by Wakefield Trinity in the result of the weekend.
The game of the weekend though was perhaps the clash between Warrington Wolves and St Helens though it was perhaps rivalled by that battle royal between Salford and Leeds.
Undoubtedly it wasn’t the best technical clash but it was two evenly matched teams putting it all on the line for a win and pushing for a place in the play-offs.
Leeds took the lead through Cameron Smith, Tim Lafai scored to reduce the deficit but a try from Ash Handley and a Rhyse Martin penalty gave Leeds a 12-4 halftime advantage.
But that eight point lead was soon turned into a two point deficit when Salford scored 10 points at the start of the second half.
It was when the Rhinos trailed 14-12 that the game exploded with a scuffle at a scrum which resulted in Mikolaj Oledzki and Chris Atkin sin binned.
After this Leeds went on to score two more penalties and win the game.
But returning back to this scuffle, many were surprised that no bans arose from this.
The match review panel minutes explain why however. It was determined that Chris Atkin didn’t make contact when “kicking out” with the panel saying:
“Player’s leg moves but footage does not show whether there was contact.”
Meanwhile, Oledzki was cited for pushing:
“Player reacts to opponent kicking out and pushes down on opponent on the ground.”
One player was banned from the game with Oliver Partington banned for dangerous contact.
These are the players charged from Round 18:
Oliver Partington (Salford Red Devils) – Grade B Dangerous Contact – 1 Match Penalty Notice
Jai Whitbread (Wakefield Trinity) – Grade B Dangerous Contact – £250 Fine
Brad O’Neill (Wigan Warriors) – Grade A Dangerous Contact – £250 Fine
Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (St Helens) – Grade B High Tackle – £250 Fine
Paul Seguier (Catalans Dragons) – Grade B Dangerous Throw – £250 Fine
The following player was handed a caution:
David Fusitua (Leeds Rhinos) – Leads with knee
