Sam Burgess has his say on if Adam Keighran should be banned for Challenge Cup Final

Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors met in a dress rehearsal for the Challenge Cup final, with Wigan coming out on top of a tight encounter in Super League. However, a red card to Adam Keighran was the main talking point. Sam Burgess has now offered his opinion on the incident. 

Keighran received the red card for a high shot on Warrington youngster, Arron Lindop. Keighran’s shoulder made contact with Lindop’s head, with Lindop going down under a tackle from Junior Nsemba. Referee, Jack Smith, did not hesitate when showing a red card.

Keighran will now face the Match Review Panel, who will decide whether he faces a ban. If Keighran is banned he will miss Wigan’s Challenge Cup final game against Warrington next weekend. The red card represents a blow for head coach, Matt Peet, who decided not to rotate his side for the game, preferring to name a strong squad for Wigan’s 19-18 win.

Quiz: Can you name all these ex-Warrington Wolves players?

Sam Burgess does not want final to be diluted

Speaking in the Warrington Guardian, Burgess gave his opinion on the Keighran incident. Burgess stated that, whilst it is up to the Match Review Panel to decide on the incident, he would rather see both sides have a full-strength side for the Wembley showpiece.

“People might not agree with this but I don’t like seeing players miss finals. It dilutes the contest.

“We want them to have all their players and have the best team possible, but there’s a process.

“George Williams missed a week this week for not much. There’s a system and a process there so we’ll see what happens this week.”

Tyler Dupree also faces a nervous wait to see if he faces sanction from the Match Review Panel. In an incident on the verge of half-time, Dupree appeared to use his head during a tackle with Sam Powell, which was missed by the match officials.

Despite losing 19-18, the young Warrington side can be proud of their performance in defeat. Their 17-man squad featured four debutants, all of whom impressed for the Wire despite the result.