Below is a round-up of all the latest news from the world of rugby league over the last 24 hours.

Pair set for huge bans

Despite only four games being played this weekend there was another busy week for disciplinary with eleven players being charged. Among those are two men destined for tribunal and facing massive bans. One is Josh Griffin who saw red for dissent but boss Tony Smith has suggested what could have been said. It’s been detailed why the other three men were banned and also explained why another didn’t see red or cop a charge, despite uproar from fans and pundits.

McGuire leaves Wire 

The future of Josh McGuire was the hot topic this past week and it’s now been confirmed that the club and player have parted ways with immediate effect via mutual agreement. That follows his second huge ban which saw him cop 12 games and it now begs the question what next for the 2017 World Cup winner? One man who’s spoken about McGuire is commentator Eddie Hemmings who has revealed what he has heard about the Aussie’s off-field persona.

Young international commits his future

Ethan Havard was handed an England debut by Shaun Wane during the mid-season international and deservedly so. The young prop is having a stellar season and that’s something that his club Wigan Warriors have clearly seen as they’ve tied the 22-year-old until at least 2027.

Reds all around

There was one red card on Saturday but on Sunday we saw two, which some would say wasn’t enough. Among those to get sent was Wigan’s Kaide Ellis for a headbutt after less than ten minutes. Another man for a very early bath was Kai O’Donnell in the later game, whilst it was suggested by Kyle Amor that his teammate Zak Hardaker should have been sent off.

Horror red “worst I’ve ever seen”

As referenced it was a busy day for the cards on Sunday with two Leigh men being sent from the pitch, one for red and one for yellow. That red by Kai O’Donnell was described as “the worst I’ve ever seen” by Kyle Amor on comms, whilst fellow commentator Mark Wilson referred to it as “bad a tackle you will see”.

Brilliant Burrow and children complete 10k

We’ve already had the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon and this Sunday it was the turn of the Leeds 10k. Quite aptly it was also Father’s Day and Rob Burrow celebrated it with his children Macy, Maya and Jackson as they pushed their Dad around the mini run as part of the Leeds 10k.

Englishman’s NRL career over?

Luke Thompson headed to the NRL after conquering rugby league in the northern hemisphere with a Grand Final. In his third year down under though he’s struggling with injury and it’s something that could end his NRL spell. It’s being reported that it’s now increasingly likely he’s done for the season, and potentially will now gain Super League suitors for 2024.

Championship side make big signing

Bradford Bulls are one of the form teams in the Championship winning three of their last four and forcing a draw against Halifax at the weekend. They’ve now added a touch of class to their side with the acquisition of Lee Gaskell, who was released by Wakefield last week.

Coach calls Challenge Cup draw “unfair”

Adrian Lam’s Leigh Leopards are into the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup, however their name was in the hat for the semi-final draw before they’d even played their quarter-final against York. Lam has now questioned this calling it “a little unfair” with the suggestion that it was potentially distracting for his team. Leigh have of course drawn St Helens but the neutral venues for those two semi-finals has now been revealed.

Star Super League winger makes loan switch

Fouad Yaha is one of the best in the business when he’s healthy but for the Frenchman the problem this season is that he’s not been healthy. During his time out he’s also found himself buried behind the in-f0rm Tom Johnstone as well as Tom Davies and NRL import Matt Ikuvalu. He’s now been sent on a short term loan to another top Super League side, despite being Catalans highest ever Super League try scorer.

Attendances, Injuries and Team of the Week

The weekend rugby league saw the return of the Challenge Cup and with that four incredible matches which saw equally impressive attendances. There was also some incredibly impressive performances, notably York Knights especially in the first half but ultimately their inability to get over the line cost players their spot in our Team of the Week. Thankfully that game didn’t seem to see any injuries, something that couldn’t be said for the other three games in our injury review.

Super League target permitted to leave

One NRL man who is gaining plenty of Super League interest is Sydney Roosters forward Matt Lodge. The prop has drawn attention from teams such as Warrington, per reports down under, and it’s now been revealed by the West Australian that he’s been granted permission to leave immediately. Could we see him as a mid-season replacement for Josh McGuire?

Union to raid Origin stars

Players moving between the codes isn’t a new trend but with Australian boss Eddie Jones’ self-declared love of the NRL it seems like it could become prominent. Further evidence to that was that Jones showed his face at Queensland training ahead of the second State of Origin game, even speaking to News Corp about which players could make the switch better than others.