Why Morgan Knowles and St Helens teammate received bans after Grand Final win over Leeds Rhinos

Today Morgan Knowles and St Helens’ teammate Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook received bans following their Grand Final win over Leeds on Saturday.

The ban for Knowles is somewhat ironic after Knowles was originally set to miss the final after he received a two match ban after twisting Chris Atkin’s arm in Saints’ semi-final win over Salford however had that ban somewhat controversially overturned in a second appeal.

Alongside the final, that original ban was set to see him miss England’s warm up with Fiji for the Rugby League World Cup and he will miss that game now through this suspension as he picks up a one-match ban for dangerous contact.

In the disciplinary minutes, the match review panel reveals why he received this ban: “A defending player makes contact with an opponent after the ball has been released by an opponent in a vulnerable position which causes flexion to the head, neck or spinal column on an attacking player, which poses an unacceptable risk of injury to that player.”

Meanwhile Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook received his ban for: “Deliberate or reckless contact with a match official (e.g. placing hand on arm to attract attention).”

Tommy Makinson was found guilty of the same offence but only received a caution meaning he will be available for England in the game against Fiji.