Kirke has been tweeting- he's home and fine- he thought it was a clash of heads and there was "no need for any carding business"

Barrie McDermott (Leeds employee) has just described it as a head clash on Super League full time.

Someone near us shouted " run ,darth , run "

Great news about Kirke and well done to the guy for his honesty.

Glad to hear he's ok and not making an issue out of it unlike a few of his team mates and supporters did.

Wasn't even a foul. He was sent off for the injury, not the tackle.

Glad Kirke's OK though. They're made of tough materials, these RL players.

That was the most important concern really from yesterday ^

Anderson say's Luke had no adverse reaction to the hamstring problem and is available for next week (after the RFL bods exonerate him)

(The clash of heads was just unfortunate)

Agree with the OP,even though he was only on the park for a short period LOD had provided some much needed inspiration.

Very true I don't think anyone from the stands could be 100% sure it was a fair tackle and if the red had come out straight away I think most people would have accepted it at least until they got home and saw the replays the way it was done just added insult to injury and compounded the officials mistake even more.

Officials make mistakes but waiting 10 minutes and then deciding the injury could not have happened by accident was the real fault and the fact it could have been a vicious head high tackle and the player might not have got a red card if the victim had got straight up and back to his feet just makes it worse. Far too often referees bottle it and put people on report when there is a good case for a red (Lee v Wire one example) but perhaps yesterday will make referees reluctant to make a strong decision even more likely and to bottle it when it is a tackle that deserves a red.

Must disagree with you there a bit swanny,hope you don't mind.

I was sat in the KB and thought it was a fair shot,no arms swinging above the shoulder.A very big hit,and it was concerning that Kirke was laying prone for so long.Concluded it must have been a head clash,and when they occur one or the other player is normally sparko or dazed for a period of time

Must agree that these pro RL players are indeed made of tough materials.Glad to hear that IK is gonna be okay.

Fair comment those in line perhaps could form an opinion but in a fast paced game like RL it is not always easy to be sure from afar and I think at the time most would be undecided and wishing the game was on TV to see the screen.

As it turns out you were right (and indeed the ref was right to let play go on) he must now wish he had not let Sinfield and the lino change his mind.

I think we need strong referees and the report system makes a red less likely to happen (or indeed a sin binning in alot of cases) and as matches are reviewed later anyway it is a part of the game that we do not really need. This was probably the perfect case where the element of doubt made it a perfect candidate to go on report and it wasn't so that is just another example of the system not working though usually it works to let the perpertrator get away with it for now and their next opponents benefit not the team the offence was committed against.

Surely after yesterdays debacle, alibert and any other official who decided to send off o'donnell on the basis that an opposition player lay prone on the ground, should be held to explain their actions and suspended from duty.
The game is hard enough and the officials have a tough job, but this was a complete farce and not a spur of the moment decision

indeed - imagine if this had been a play off game!!!!!
That is twice that LOD has been sent off based on incorrect "evidence"

Has anyone seen a verdict from review yet. Picture going round shows clear clash of heads so should be no case to answer. But does leave questions to be answered re refereeing. Alibert may have saved Rhinos' from a real stuffing if LOD had remained on the field.

Reviews from today arent up yet but from RFL site...
"Huddersfield Giants forward Luke O’Donnell is free to play in his side’s tie against Hull at the KC Stadium on Sunday after the match-review panel cleared him of any wrongdoing in the 48-24 win over Leeds Rhinos yesterday.

O’Donnell was sent off by referee Thierry Alibert for alleged deliberate use of the forearm on Leeds prop Ian Kirke, who was knocked out in the collision.

Alibert recalled the Australian forward from the bench after he had been replaced by substitute Larne Patrick to show him a red card.

Huddersfield coach Paul Anderson maintained afterwards that Kirke had been injured by an accidental clash of heads and was proved correct when the panel found O’Donnell not guilty."

Well sinfield must feel very proud now, all the chuntering at the referee trying to get LOD sent off.
It's disgraceful that a professional sportsperson should try and get a fellow professional sportsperson sent off for nothing. Isn't that the kind of thing we see in puffball?

Sinfield is a whinging tosspot, always has been. Most overrated player in SL who tried to cheat his team to a win yesterday.

Ok so I now await the rugby football leagues response to the question why are they targeting Huddersfield Giants Second Rower Luke O'Donnell?

Sent off twice incorrectly against the same club? What's the odds on that?

Could of cost us in a game with more riding on it, what they didn't bank on though was the utter determination and guts of the other 16 guys out there who refused to be screwed over yet again!!!!

After watching it on Superleague fulltime again and again LOD should have nothing to answer, a clash of heads, it's as simple as that.

Alibert and his colleagues are a disgrace, clearly they have imagined a forearm smash and took 10-15 minutes to come up with that notion or figment of their imagination.

Why are the officials targeting LOD, god help him if he actually did high tackle someone, as clearly a red is standard fare if there is a hint of suspicion.



What Sinfield said or otherwise non of us will know, overrated I'm not so sure, would love someone with his desire to win and leadership skills.

When Alibert produced the red card sinfield was applauding.
Poor. Very poor.

Absolutely nailed it.

This is the perfect opportunity for Cummins and the rabble at Red Hall to send a message out that bad refereeing will not be tolerated, we went on to smash the Rhinos but if we had lost that game on the basis of having 12 men it would have been criminal.

It was one of the worst decisions i've ever seen in over 25 years of watching RL and to think that The idiot(s) resonsible can walk away from this scot free is unthinkable.
Cummins should be hammering Alibert for this , and at the same time issuing a warning to players trying to influence decisions ala Sinfield yesterday, he never left the referee alone all the time Kirke was down and i reckon Alibert partly sent him off just to shut the moaning git up !.

Come on RFL - lets have explanations and apologies here

Said on super league fulltime on sky that he was sent off for a dangerous high tackle! Absolutely crazy!

Wasn't just sinfield yapping at the ref and applauding,ablett,alien head and ryan hall all applauded LOD's stint

It was a bloody good stint to be fair

It was indeed,maybe sinny and bighead thought the only way to stop him was to threaten alibert's cheval lol