Catalans Dragons star and high-profile signing has pleaded guilty to breaching operational rules following his controversial comments about Super League.
Keary arrived in Super League for 2025 as arguably the biggest overseas signing with both he and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves swapping Sydney Roosters for new teams in the northern hemisphere.
Whilst JWH signed for Hull KR who are flying high atop Super League and have just won the Challenge Cup, Keary signed for Catalans who have had a torrid season.
They currently sit outside the play-offs and have seen head coach Steve McNamara sacked, whilst Keary himself has hardly been pulling up trees with any of his performances.
Despite that, the former NRL star spoke out about the standard of Super League, labelling it “near unwatchable” and that the game is “horrendous”.
Speaking in an interview with Wide World of Sports, Keary pulled no punches with his comments drawing the attention of plenty of Super League fans, pundits, and even those at the RFL.
Luke Keary charged by RFL after “unwatchable” Super League comments
It’s those at the RFL he is having to answer to with the Australian called before an Operational Rules Tribunal where he pleaded guilty to two rule breaches.
Per the RFL statement: “The rules breached included C2:10 (Behaviour Standards) and D1:1(b) (Conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game).”
In effect, Keary was reprimanded for bring the game into disrepute and that saw him handed a £1,000 fine, half of which is suspended until the end of the 2026 season.
Explaining that sanction, RFL Compliance have written to Mr Keary as follows:
“In mitigation, you have accepted full responsibility for your words and although you do state that the tone and wording were harsher than you intended them to be, you do not deny they are your words, and you have pleaded guilty to a breach of the Operational Rules.”
Pundit Jon Wilkin was one of those to speak out, pointing out Keary’s far from impressive form and calling the playmaker’s performance at Leigh as “unwatchable”.
He’d add: “A lot of what he said is just obvious. So that’s when it becomes a case of why are you saying it? And if he’s having such a bad time over here when he’s on marquee money and he’s not lit the competition up, then just go home.”
RL Commercial’s Rhodri Jones was another to speak out, stating: “I come back to the fact that Luke has been in the competition for nine rounds and has been in France, out of the mainstream, and I think we can do a lot of things to convince him that he’s been perhaps a bit over-dramatic in his comments.”
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