Jim Lenihan has questioned the Match Review Panel’s decision to ban Huddersfield Giants’ Taane Milne for three matches after he made contact with an injured Tanguy Zenon.
Milne is the latest in a string of players this season, including Lachie Miller and Semi Valemei, to be banned for making contact with an injured or potentially injured player.
What makes Milne’s case different is that the Huddersfield Giants man was checking on the health of his teammate and not an opponent, however, he was still charged and banned all the same.
In the Giants’ loss to Wigan Warriors, centre Tanguy Zenon was hit hard by Kian McDermott with the Frenchman clearly in trouble immediately.
He would fail his head injury assessment, forcing him from the field in the first half and subsequently ruling him out of Saturday’s game against York Knights.
McDermott would land a two-match ban for that tackle but Milne, who Lenihan claimed simply put Zenon into the recovery position, will serve a three-match ban, a decision that the Giants boss has described as ‘very disappointing’.
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Speaking at his weekly presser, Lenihan confirmed that the ban was indeed for Milne touching his own teammate and whilst he accepted the RFL ruling around touching injured players, he questioned it’s application this week.
The Australian said: “I understand what the situation is and what the RFL are trying to do but I think initially the rule was brought in to stop blokes picking up blokes who were lying down in the ruck and trying to waste time.
“I think on the weekend, the bloke who perpetrated (the injury) got two weeks and we ended up getting three with Taane and one with Tanguy, and we lose him for half the game at the time. For being victims of the crime, we end up copping four and a half weeks and they get two.”
Lenihan added: “I understand implicitly that medical comes first and we don’t want to cause risk to players but Taane is acting in a way that he thought was necessary at the time to help what he thought was his guy choking and he’s just rolled him into a recovery position.
“To get three weeks feels a little bit over the top for the intentions of his actions.”
He’d also query where the rules stop and start in regards touching injured players, asking: “I don’t know where it starts and stops, if blokes are stumbling around on their feet and unable to hold their balance, are we supposed to let those guys fall to the ground? Are we not allowed to touch those guys either?”
Zenon will miss out on the game against York but could be back the week after should he go through the HIA protocols, whilst Milne will miss a further two games after this week.
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