Despite staring directly at it Silverwood didn't see it. When he eventually stopped play Smith told him what had happened. No pen because it wasn't seen but Mika will get suspended which will help Rovers' next opponents. We have to play the majority of the game with 16 players total and a lad gets his face smashed in. The fault is with the on field officials one of whom should have seen it. Silverwood was in position A1 so the fault lies squarely with him IMO.

Agree 100%, Silverwood was useless last night, KR were their usual cheap shot selves and I think FC did very well to (largely) keep their cool.

As mentioned, you can't effect a tackle with a fist-clenched. I think there was intent there.

Looked like a cheekbone fracture to me.

My thoughts too were that as play had moved on a penalty could not be given. But Silverwood and his lino's were pi$$ poor for not seeing it, game should have been stopped immediately. Once it had been referred to Smith thought it would be a sin bin or red but guess as Silverwood allegedly saw nothing, then again he couldn't go back. Mika may not have meant it but clenched fist to the face certainly looked to have intent, Turner did well to get up and walk from the field, hope the lad does not have anything broken.

Could have been a game changer but thankfully the boys put in a stirling display. Any ban for Mika will be irrelevant as he'll be out much longer if its a hamstring tear...Karma

Didn't know he had. He would have completed the game...

no one tackles with a clenched fist, but I doubt he intended to cause that damage
why would they plan to take Turner out the game when his defensive positioning and intercept attempts could have gifted Rovers a lot of ball!?

Maybe that was the excuse they wanted for losing? "Rich Whiting moved out wide and he's just too classy for us"

this brings me back to the magic weekend derby though. silverwood stopped play for this, why didnt ganson stop when martin was down???
and i think mika should of bin sent off for that tackle, well head shot. who goes into a tackle with a clinched fist?

Sometime players clench the fist when putting a shot on with a swinging arm. However, regardless of the intention it was reckless and made contact with the head so he should be getting at least 1 game.

Charged by RFL Grade B Offence High Tackle

Sam Moa makes accidental contact with the opponent's head and leaves opposition player unable to continue - red card and one match ban.

On Friday, Tony Puletua makes contact with the opponent's head. Red card.

Yesterday, Mika makes contact with Turner's head with a closed fist. Turner is left severely concussed and unable to continue. No penalty given. Incident on report.




What I didn't like was a portion of the KR crowd that cheered when Turner was injured. He then tried to get up but went back down and they cheered again. (I understand cheering at the first one, but it's not right when he goes back down as that shows that he's clearly hurt).
When Turner is helped from the pitch you can hear a portion of the crowd booing him off.

Yeah I noticed the booing from some of the crowd. Cheering when a man goes down is fair enough IMO, and even when he goes down for the second time is not too outrageous. But booing as a man is helped off the field after receiving treatment is appalling.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of this case there is definitely a need for something to help the side that loses a player as a result of of foul play by the other side. Although there will still be 13 on the pitch it hampers rotation. In these cases perhaps the 18th man ( not us! ) should be drafted onto the bench once medical evidence that the victim cannot return has been established. As it is now the team losing the player to foul play are disadvantaged in the game , especially where the perpetrator doesn't get sent off , and then potentially again if he gets a ban thus weakening his side when they play your play off rivals in the coming weeks.

and it was the same ref last night as the one in the moa incident

FWIW I don't think it was deliberate. Clumsy, maybe, but not intentional. He was going for the ball carrying arm whilst Turner was trying a sidestep.

Must admit that regardless of that, I don't know how an incident can be placed on report and the other team not get a penalty though.

Was he carrying the ball between his teeth?

Red card in my opinion.

I don't think it was deliberate, just reckless and careless. Moa's was also reckless & careless, and both resulted in a concussed player having to leave the game.

I can only presume that Silverwood didn't quite see it properly, although he went on to put it on report, so who knows? I expect a 2-game ban.

Spot on

Apparently Mika is injured and will miss at least one match, so unless the ban exceeds the duration of his injury where is the actual punishment?

The ban (if he gets one) will still be in place when he returns, so if he misses 1 game through injury and gets a 1 match he will be missing for 2 games.

Since when?

Yes, it doesn't really sound right that, but if it is, he's fit as of now, although we might rest him in a couple of games time after the ban has expired.

Well I never if that is the case

.... I am assuming it is the same as amateur if a player gets a ban he serves the ban injured or not.

So basically if a player gets a ban for 2 matches but are out injured they do not have to serve the ban ?

Correct, his only punishment will potentially be a fine, of course if he had been red carded he wouldn't have been on the pitch to sustain the hamstring injury.

But would still have got a ban. Silverwood's let him off lightly whichever way you look at it.

If Silverwood didn't see it properly could he not have asked the video ref to look into the incident? Or can the video ref not be used for that sort of thing?

When watching it I didn't think it was deliberate. However, Barrie McDermott (who has a fair bit of knowledge of shots like that

) was suggesting that he thought that Mika meant it.

Either way, it was serious contact with the head and therefore he should have been sent off because both Moa and Puletua have been sent off for similar offences. There needs to be more consistency in the refereeing.