Championship players Bayley Liu and Sam Webb-Campbell have both been hit with five-game suspensions. The pair stood in front of an operational rules tribunal on Tuesday evening with both men being found guilty of the Grade E punching charges they were handed last week.
The charges related to a coming together between the pair as Bradford Bulls took on Hunslet in the Championship earlier this month. Bradford’s Liu and Hunslet man Webb-Campbell were sent off in the game, which the Bulls won 34-0, with the duo being heavily involved in a brawl.
As a result, both men have been handed five-match bans, meaning they will miss a crucial period of the Championship season. Liu has also been handed 35 penalty points and a £250 fine, while Webb-Campbell, who pleaded guilty but unsuccessful challenged the grading of the charge, was hit with 30 penalty points. It means that both players will be walking a disciplinary tightrope upon their respective returns with any further charge set to result in a ban.
With just eight games left to play of the regular season, the suspensions come as a blow for both clubs, but particularly Bradford, who are third in the Championship at present after Sunday’s loss to York Knights.
Liu will miss key games against Oldham, Halifax Panthers, Widnes Vikings, Doncaster and Sheffield Eagles before returning to action for a clash with Toulouse Olympique, which promises to be a four pointer in the race for the League Leaders’ Shield. He’s made eight appearances for the club since his off-season switch from South Yorkshire side Sheffield Eagles.
Webb-Campbell’s Hunslet are four points adrift at the foot of the table having struggled for form in their first season back in the second tier. They’ll be without Webb-Campbell as they strive to pick up form and avoid the wooden spoon before the league splits.
