As a Wigan fan I have to say it was a very harsh red card. I think if McClorrum had not been flat out the ref wouldn't have batted an eyelid. Trying to look at it pragmatically, though I personally disagree with the decision Watts' elbow was being raised (albeit slightly) and made direct contact with the head. I don't believe there was any malace in it but can understand where the decision came from.

One point I want to make is to give a huge amount of credit to Scott Taylor, what Sky did to him, asking those questions straight after the game was wrong and potentially putting him in a position where he says something that ends up with him being banned. I like the touch screen analysis but leave it to a player from the winning team.

https://twitter.com/RLBP_/status/869284742306430977 Watts sent off against cats, josh griffin on end of same tonight, penalty only. The game is bent

https://twitter.com/RLBP_/status/869284742306430977 Watts sent off against cats, josh griffin on end of same tonight, penalty only. The game is bent

Suck it up. Why when Hull lose is it always the refs fault?I don't think anyone is saying Watts meant it but in current rules elbow into head equals red. Hopefully he will get most lenient ban for that offense same as Ellis other week . Was a good game and 2 week in a row Fc have played well but lost .Still in own hands and Thursday will be good telly

Stop getting your knickers in a froth. You can trawl old games and find hundred of instances of similar incidents that don't get pinged, controversial decisions went your way at Wembley and I don't recall Wigan fans having this level of hysteria?What part of elbow to the head don't you understand?

Watts did have his elbow slightly raised, which made contact and knocked McClorrum out, that description is clearly foul play.

What makes it contentious as well as McClorrum flying into the tackle like a madman, is that players too often are running with a raised elbow without giving penalties away. Putting the bumpers up is how Terry O'Connor described it. Running into tackles with your elbows is foul play, whether contact with the head is made or not, a fend should be with the hand not the elbow.

Just watched it again and can't see how it's anything but a red? But after reading umpteen pages of belly aching on hull board most seem to think it was perfectly fine? The disciplinary boards ruling will be interesting either way

If this had been the other way around, Hull fans would have been screaming for a red card... #JustSaying

Very true. Every time Hull lose the ref is to blame.

I retract my posts after reading the hull fans version of events.Hull should be given the 2 points and Mcillorum should be recipient of 4 game ban for dangerous contact to Watts elbow with his jaw.

Well done in lifting a line from a post to try and deflect.What I said was the Wigan fans after wembley didn't cry like you lot last night/today. Put all the emoticons you like the facts are hull have tried rough house bully boy tactics last 2 games and come off 2nd best both times.Ironic thing is when they actually concentrated on playing hard fair rugby they looked good.

Wigan fans are the most insular and whining fans in the game. The whole of the Rugby League world revolves around them and if they didn't exist then RL wouldn't exist as far as they're concerned. After they beat us in the CC Semi all I heard in the pub after was about how they needed more protection from our thuggish behaviour

. This coming from the dirtiest an grubbiest bunch of s in RL!!



There was f*ck all wrong with Watts collision last night, no raised elbow, no unnatural movement, it was merely a case of the defender getting it wrong with an attempted big hit. We'll end up 10v10 every week if you're gonna start throwing reds around for challenges like that. Guaranteed if it was the other way round MM wouldn't have walked for that challenge.

Great effort by Hull and I'd really like to see a Hull-Cas final as IMO they've been the best 2 teams we've played this season. Have a horrible feeling the RFL will do anything they can to get their golden boys to the GF tho.

The "game" was a disgrace regardless of the sending off.
They weren't players on that pitch they were just a bunch of street yobs looking for a fight.
Wigan had obviously come to settle some scores and they were the main instigators but some of the Hull players were just as bad .
No doubt the Wigan fans will jump to their teams defence but I remember Wigan when they had a team you could respect, the days of Ashton,  Boston,  McTigue etc they had tough forwards in those days but at least they played rugby.
The current crop are not much more than a bunch of street thugs and a disgrace to Rugby League and to the name of the Wigan club  in particular

Bloody hell I do not like Wigan but I think you have gone over the top with your post Both teams were has bad has each other and by the way I can not stand hull FC has well

Rubbish. Great game of rugby league. Yes it was sometimes niggly, even spiteful at times, but it was two excellent teams going flat out at each other without either giving an inch, and there was some great skill on show at times too. The game literally had everything, and if you didnt enjoy that I don't see why you follow the sport at all.

On the Watts red card, for me it wasn't one. If people think it was then that's up to them, but no one will be able to convince me it was. Red cards should be reserved for deliberate, serious foul play, and that simply wasn't. It was a split second reaction to an impending big shot, and whilst I hope McIlorum is ok, you have to put more of the blame on him. He came like he had been shot out of a cannon and his technique was all wrong.

Gutted to lose after putting in so much effort to get back in. It would have been a famous victory had we held on, but wasn't to be. You kind of knew what was coming when all those back to back sets were stacking up at the end. Hopefully Watts will avoid a ban and Talanoa will be back next week to bolster the back line a bit (if not at least Michaels will be). Got to make sure we get a result against Wakefield and then we can sit back and see if Huddersfield and or Cas can do us a favour. If we have to win twice in two weeks at the jungle to reach Old Trafford then so be it. Bring em on.

I've been watching the game for 60 yrs if thats what you think is a great game of Rugby League I feel sorry for you .
Early on Tompkins and Connor were acting like a couple of niggling brats, they should have been sent off early on and they could have sorted their differences out on the car park then maybe the ones who wanted to play rugby could have got on with it.

Connor and the Wigan forward squaring upto each other was a disgrace.
The game should be played tough and hard but it should be left on the field

Not a red for me. Unless players carry the ball with their arms straight down by their side (like a soldier) the elbow has to be somewhere.
MM tried to put a big shot on Watts and ran into his elbow. It's got to be somewhere.

here is a comment of someone who has watched the narrow coverage from TV and thinks they can offer an informed opinion.

Having been at the game and watched much of it back on TV, the rough house tactics were clearly instilled in Wigan. McIllorum and Tomkins striking out after the ball has been played, kicking the tackled player, stamping on the hands of a prone player. Not once penalised.

It was my understanding that only the captain of a side was allowed to speak to the official? Tomkins and Bateman had more dialog with Hick than there was on Frost v Nixon.

In hindsight, the major incident, there is clearly contact to the head from Watts fore arm (not elbow). Ok, by the letter of the current interpretation of the rules, its a penalty. It is not a red card. If it is, there would be a dozen cards per game.

If it was a one off error by the officials, fair enough, they are human and make mistakes. However, its the glaring inconsistencies, in the same game which are what are destroying the game. Griffin gets pulled for a cannonball, fair enough, it was a soft one but a correct decision. Second half, similar situation involving either Tuatai or Isa (couldnt make out who at the time), yet no penalty. The high swinging arm into Griffins face in the 2nd half, penality but no further action from a ref who has produced a card for a head contact.

Oh, then there is the clear forward pass for Wigans 3rd try. How is that missed??

Stiil, Hull were the architects of their own downfall, Not for one minute am I blaming individuals, but examples of this are Sneyd throwing out a miracle pass to Gelling within 2 mins of the restart. Or Shaul knocking on having got possession back with 2 minutes left when its a 2 point game.

Hull were the better team. A more objective decision on Watts, the game stays at 13v13, Hull win that game.

Of course you think it was a red, you literally have red blinkers on.

Have a look on twitter at the former players, current players and even match officials opinion, they are likely to be a bit more level headed than someone who openly states they hate Hull FC

So, do you revel in the era of Jim Mills, Ron Wileman, John Millington ??? Or were the Aussie boys, you know the Les Boyds of this world your thing?

What exactly should Tomkins and Conner have been send off for? For winding each other up? I thought you liked your rugby tough?

And I suppose you're not biassed?

Players, coaches etc said that Clubb's no try should have been given and we were told by Hull fans that they don't know what they're talking about. You win some, you lose some as Radford said. You can't possibly say that had Watt's been sent off you would have won because it completely changes the dynamic of a team. Often you find the team with a player missing up their game knowing they're a man down.

Player’s squaring upto each other in the the heat of the moment but off the ball niggling is cheap and petulant and yes they should have been sent off for winding each other up because that's what leads to the game blowing up and spoils it for everyone. The ref should have got them together and told them straight "either play rugby or if you want to act like peevish kids you can do your squabbling elsewhere "

Do you see games like that as the future of the game. If you were the coach of a kids game would you show the video of the match as an example of what they should aspire to.

The Griffin 3rd man in attack on back of knee seemed to be the start of the niggle becoming more physical . mcillorum then has spat with Kelly, just after that Watts hits him with a Fozzard elbow. Agree with the poster stating that hull fans discounted expert opinions when ref ruled in their favour yet now quote same experts as credible when they feel hard done by. We will have to see how the disciplinary panel see all this?

MickyMcilorum @MickyMc88
Heads ok thanks for the messages!
No blame to anyone it's rugby league this stuff happens, hopefully not too many more times

I posted last night on the Hull forum about how much rubbish Cummings talks. Sky seriously need to bin him off.

Basically on Thursday night Saints put up a kick. Atkinson jumped to catch it but he knocked on. Immediately after he got tackled in the air. Ref gave scrum to Wakey. Cummings said this was correct as the error occurred first therefore a scrum was the right outcome.

Last night, Wigan knocked on. The ball came out, ended up with McIlorum then Kelly hit him high. The ref awarded penalty to Wigan because the foul play overrules the knock on. Cummings agreed in the commentary box! Literally contradicted exactly what he said and argued about the night before.

As a Hull fan I'm not moaning about last night's ref there, as I think he got it right last night with that call. I just personally can't stand listening to Cummings try and justify the refs decisions all the time when it leads to himself constantly contradicting himself every week!