Finucane got 2 games for a very similar tackle where he shot out the line and did the damage with a head clash. I dont think he will miss a GF because of it but the precedent is there

Bateman is awful for the type of money he's being paid, sooner he's off back to Aussieland the better

I thought the Welsby one was a cracking tackle too but I can see why people are complaining as similar have seen players sent off the field and given bans.

Bateman Grade D (3 to 5 matches)
Knowles 2 matches
Welsby fine, no ban to previous good behavior!!

Awful is very harsh, he’s one of the best second rowers in the league still. I just think after what he did in Oz and his wage expectations are sky high.

Can’t argue with any of those

It really annoys me that bans incurred at club level count at international level and vice versa. Football have it right on this one imo.

Probably why Saints are appealing Knowles ban, nothing to lose, if it gets increased it won't affect them

Spot on. Nothing to lose although I really can't see a 2 match ban being reduced to 0. I can't see the ban being increased as it would be England that are disadvantaged so I don't think the RFL will do this. As it stands he misses the GF and the England friendly.

The annoying part of the process is the ones that are missed. I've no complaints with the Knowles one as it was stupid from him but when you look at the clash where Ackers fails his HIA, Bennison is smashed (illegally IMO) and yet this was not cited. There is a clip I shared on Twitter of Watkins hitting Percival in the head with his shoulder, yet this wasn't even commented on by the MRP. Similarly Sneyd does a high tackle on Lomax which is a shocker.

I've no issues with bans if they are deserved but at least be consistent.

The difference between Bateman and Welsby was a small fraction of a second. Both committed to put a big hit on a player, both used their arms to try and make a tackle, both made some sort of contact with the head, both went in with too much aggression and in the modern ruling of the game could have put the players safety at risk. The margins are tiny, i would say both were reckless tackles in todays language, Bateman was half a second later than Welsby and deserves a longer ban.

Knowles was a straightforward intentionally putting undue pressure on a joint and could easily cause ligament damage, he takes it way beyond an acceptable angle. I can't believe anyone tried to defend that with such clear evidence, and he wasn't given a straight red.

I agree that there are many other tackles with head contact that are not picked up on by commentary and just go unnoticed that are as bad as some of the above. The use of freeze frame has to be looked at and a threshold taken where the players reactions are taken into account for defender or attacker being unable to change the point of contact.

I didn't see anything wrong with the Welsby tackle, however if the disciplinary panel lets him off because of previous "good behaviour" then there is a problem in that he has already had one previous caution earlier this season

Incorrect Brian. The rules are

If a Player has not: a) been Found Guilty of two or more On Field Misconduct Offences in the previous 24 months, including at least one
offence in the previous 12 months prior to the date on which the Offence attracting the Penalty Notice was committed; and
b) has not been Found Guilty of a Similar Offence at Grade C or above in the previous 24 months to the date on which the Offence attracting the Penalty Notice was committed; the Player will receive a Penalty Notice sanction which will be at the lower end of the Grade of the Offence with which the Player is charged. Therefore, for a Grade A Offence the Penalty Notice will specify a zero (0) Match suspension

Welsby has only been guilty of one charge (late hit on Fages in July) during that 24 month timeframe therefore he is free to play

Cheers Stu I thought it was one




There was nothing wrong with he tackle anyway IMO

There’s no problem when you read the written guidelines about what constitutes previous.

Well the RFL have outdone themselves today.

Not content with spelling "Reserve" incorrectly on the medals yesterday for Wigan Reserves, they have now named Bateman in the England Knights squad to exploit a loophole created by their own process.

It just beggars belief it really does.

Named in England Knights squad ???
Either it's an incredibly cynical move to use up a couple of his bans or Wane's dropped him from the main squad, personally I think he's been good this season but nowhere near what he can be, reckon there's quite a few in front of him this season

Its purely to exploit a loophole. If he gets a 3 game ban he misses the friendly against Fiji, the England Knights game and the opener against Samoa. Without the Knights game he would miss 2 WC group games.

That logo too, looks like looking down the toilet! Pass the sick-bucket, Alice!

Those medals need to be replaced.
This looks very bad for the RFL and the sport in general.

Poor from the RL and once again shows them up to be the tin pot run game it`s fast becoming.
Maybe Knowles might make the Knights squad now.

3 game ban for Bateman, so misses the Knights game, Fiji friendly and Samoa group match.

Of course it is and why not? Do you honestly think that the Aussies wouldn’t do the same? The RFL
Seem to have changed the disciplinary rules lately as well, do you not think that Bateman’s three match ban and Knowles two match ban are lenient?

Stu, you epitomise the problem with the game. Some of the cases being put in front of the disciplinary committee are very harsh if you watch the incidents at full speed. On the other hand deliberate actions such as twisting a players arm in an unnatural direction or squeezing somebody’s balls are premeditated actions and should be dealt with far more seriously.

I think fans of the game as a whole are in a confused mess and it’s through no fault of their own. We see bans all season for ridiculous reasons and then when Welsby avoids one, for something bans have absolutely been given out for, we don’t know if we should be saying ‘well that’s a joke’ or ‘finally some common sense’. Make no bones about it, he’s banned if that tackle comes mid season. Now he shouldn’t be because that’s the game and we all know it’s a great tackle but the way in which the rules have been put in place this season means they’ve now backflipped because it’s a final. They’ve also only given Knowles 2 games and Bateman 3 because they have the World Cup to play in (although whoever decided club bans would carry through to the World Cup is a clown).

In summary it’s an absolute mess and needs sorting out for 2023. The game cannot afford to keep having people sat down for nothing incidents but by the same token, it cannot leave itself open to criticism when they move the goalposts because of how important upcoming games are.

Agree with the majority of this although not completely with the carry through of bans. To paraphrase Steve Mascord yesterday, you can't have an incident like Ben Flower on Hohaia and then have him play for Wales a couple of weeks later. That's not to say I think trivial Grade A/B charges should carry over aswell but where do you draw the line?