Wigan Warriors beat rivals St Helens on Friday night by a score of 16-12 but the disciplinary fallout from the game has not favoured them with a player copping a charge for the same offence that a Saints player got off scot-free.
Both Matt Peet and Paul Wellens had massively different squads from the teams that faced off back in March when St Helens inflicted a first loss on Wigan since the middle of the 2023 campaign.
So far, that is one of just two defeats that Wigan Warriors have suffered all season with the other loss coming at the hands of Hull KR less than a month later.
Since the loss to Hull KR in Round Nine, Wigan have won all ten of their games and they’d hope to extend that against lowly Hull FC next week. They will be missing multiple players through injury and an additional man due to suspension after this week’s Match Review Panel.
Quiz: Can you get these 15 questions about Super League records correct?
Match Review Panel rules against Wigan Warriors
Credit: Imago Images
The latest Wigan Warriors man to be added to the suspended list is centre Adam Keighran, who missed the Challenge Cup Final after being handed a three-game ban earlier in the season.
His Grade B charge for a ‘Dangerous Throw/Lift’ drew a one-game ban which is at the higher end of the grading criteria, however, a fellow Wigan man escaped a ban for a Grade B charge.
That was Ethan Havard who copped a Grade B charge and a £250 fine for his charge of head contact but what has prompted confusion is that there has been no action taken against Matty Lees, who was in fact sin binned for the offence in that same game.
Lees lasted just 58 seconds on the pitch when Liam Moore sent him for ten minutes after his high shot on Kaide Ellis. Many fans have been asking why he has seemingly escaped a fine, unlike Havard.
It’s now been clarified by the RFL and the Match Review Panel that no further action was taken against the St Helens forward on account of the fact that he had already been sin binned.
The Match Review Panel minutes read: “Contact is low force. Sin bin sufficient.”
Wigan Warriors can perhaps be happy that they’ve not lost Havard to a ban considering how many injuries they have presently, a situation that Huddersfield Giants find themselves in but they have lost two players to two-match bans.
Both Andre Savelio and Sam Hewitt copped two-game bans whilst Edwin Ipape was handed a one-game ban. All charges can be seen below.
Round 17 Super League Disciplinary Findings
Andre Savelio (Huddersfield Giants) – Grade D Head Contact – 2 Match Penalty Notice and a £250 Fine
Sam Hewitt (Huddersfield Giants) – Grade D Punching – 2 Match Penalty Notice and a £250 Fine
Edwin Ipape (Leigh Leopards) – Grade B Dangerous Contact – 1 Match Penalty Notice (Higher End)
Chris Hankinson (Salford Red Devils) – Grade B Head Contact – £250 Fine
Bayley Sironen (Catalans Dragons) – Grade B Dangerous Contact – £250 Fine
Rob Butler (London Broncos) – Grade B Dangerous Contact – £250 Fine
Denive Balmforth (Hull FC) – Grade B Dangerous Contact – £250 Fine
Ethan Havard (Wigan Warriors) – Grade B Head Contact – £250 Fine
Adam Keighran (Wigan Warriors) – Grade B Dangerous Throw/Lift – 1 Match Penalty Notice (Higher End)
