[urlhttp://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/news/5831/L'ESTRANGE%20TO%20FACE%20RFL%20COMMITTEE[/url

heard a rumour yesterday he picked up a knock and might be out a couple of weeks anyway, so assuming thats true probably sensible to take the early plea and not run the risk of missing a third match. seemed a pretty cut and dried incident so cant see him getting found not guilty.

As Hargreaves hasn't been charged with anything, and therefore can be assumed to have done nothing wrong, can his sending off be used to mitigate any punishment to L'estrange? Dismissal in the match can reduce the penalty, as evidenced by sending off sufficient being applied to charges on occasion.

think problem is having viewed it again looks like ref made a mistake sending hargreaves off. It was l'estrange who appeared to lift peacocks legs over the vertical and turn the tackle into a spear. hence no charge for hargreaves.

Is there an avenue for hargreaves to appeal his red card now? To get it off his record?

Yes that was my thought that the ref made a mistake in who committed the offence. My point is say Hargreaves had been the offender, the sending off may have reduced any punishment he received but the surely the same can't be applied to L'estrange since he wasn't sent off?

This means we get Hargreaves sent off, and has a red card on his record, for an offence he didn't commit and L'estrange not able to argue for a reduced ban on the grounds of already being sent off because he wasn't.

Ref's make mistakes, it's part of the game, but there must be a route to correct that post game.

How come he would miss two games for an early guilty plea when everyone else misses one?

does it mean ref gets suspended for one match as did the one that couldnt count to 6

because it depends on grade of the charge. everyone who used early guilty so far has only had a grade B (1-2 matches). Early guilty means you automatically get the lower end of charge range. In L'estranges case its a grade C (2-3) hence a 2 match ban.

I see. That makes sense.

Hargreaves surely has to have his red rescinded now though. Surely.

If L'estrange had been given the red card during the match - am I right in thinking he then would not be eligible for the "early plea" as he had the red card on his record.

He would then have to go to the disciplinary for the grade C offence (2-3 matches) but could point to the fact he already had missed a part of a match.

Trust the Bulls to find the only way to make things unclear...

I think everyone did in the moment. The Leeds players running in ran straight past Stranger to Hargreaves.

that would mean RFL admitting a ref made a mistake, which whilst not unheard of is pretty rare. And even when thy do admit a mistake they dont do anything to retrospectively correct it.

Except, as someone just mentioned, in the case of Alibert, for not being able to count to six.

You can't retrospectively change things, but he should have it struck from his record.

Once it's done it's done. He's exonerated as far as future disciplinary hearings go so in practical terms he has had it stricken from the record. They can say what they like about the sending off itself and whether it was valid or not but in that game he was sent from the field.

As far as I can see in guidelines a red card doesnt block you from using early guilty plea. Its only punishments issued by disciplinary commitee that count not ones awarded on the field.

Heath can take an early guilty plea if he chooses as he hasn't been found guilty of any charges in the previous 12 months. The RFL have already acknowledged that Bryn wasn't guilty and shouldn't have been sent off.

Looks like Diskin and Addy to share dummy half duties then.

If Sammut is out Addy will be needed at half-back....

I'm thinking Bateman in the halves and Addy as hooker interchange. Addy seems much more comfortable there or in the back row than at half back and I'm pretty sure I've seen Bateman play well there in u20's.

So why hasn't Michael McIlorum been charged for the same thing?

Does anyone know if Adam O'Brien is close to a return?

I'm thinking more for the Huddersfield game than this weekend - assuming L'Estrange gets a two match ban.

Because [iHE[/i plays for Wigan. Do keep up.

But surely, the very fact they have called in L'Estrange and not Hargreaves is in itself an admission, both that the ref made a mistake, and that they do do things retrospectively to correct it? If they want to go down the route that the ref is 'always' right then they should have called in Hargreaves, who, clearly on the evidence, would have been found not guilty.

It's hardly a great leap to rescind the red card - though some front rowers do look on them as a badge of honour..

yes their retrospectively correcting the mistake in not punishing l'estrange at the time. but seriously doubt they'll rescind the red card. ateotd both hargreaves and l'estrange were involved in the tackle so dont think we can complain too much.

[url=http://www.therfl.co.uk/disciplinary/item?35322 matches[/url

Early guilty plea offered & accepted