Super League Disciplinary: Adrian Lam speaks out on Asiata “injustice”

Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam has spoken out about the “injustice” of John Asiata’s suspension in more Super League disciplinary drama.

Asiata received a Grade A Dangerous Contact charge for his tackle in the opening stages of Leigh Leopards’ 12-4 loss to St Helens.

According to owner Derek Beaumont, Asiata’s was postponed until next week due to both the RFL and the Leigh Leopards having prior commitments.

Speaking to the media today, Adrian Lam explained why the club appealed:” Just the principle of it, really.

“It’s something that we feel very strongly about, that players are being charged at the moment that shouldn’t be charged and just for the sake of that, we’re fighting to make sure that John doesn’t get a warning.

“The way that it works, if he’s charged, he gets a warning, and if you get three warnings, you get a week’s suspension.

“If we can beat that warning, that won’t be on his record.”

He said: “But more importantly than that, just the principle of the act within the tackle.

“He tackles the attacking player at hip-height before he lifts the leg and it makes him slide down.

“We see nothing wrong with that, and we’ll fight and support our players every single time if we feel that there’s injustice there.

Lam’s comments come shortly after Beaumont’s own comments on social media.

Responding to a fan, he explained why the Leopards are appealing a charge which carried no suspension.

Sometimes in life principal is important and it’s about what’s right. A grade A with NFA is like less than getting 10 lines at school back in the day which was the lowest sanction it’s the RFL trying to back the decision of the video ref as on field didn’t even call it! It’s…

— Derek John Beaumont (@derek_beaumont) March 12, 2024

Our verdict

It’s good to see that the club are sticking to their principles, and it’s something that it seems that most fans support.

It’s clear that Adrian Lam and Derek Beaumont are in the same boat with regards to this issue, which is good to see, especially with all the off-the-field controversy surrounding Beaumont and his communication style on social media!

Super League disciplinary decisions can often divide people, but they’re sticking together.