Turn the question around if it was a member of your family that had commited the offence would you be happy to support them and be thankfull they had note gone to jail? What I actually think is that if Rovers had got rid, the club would have opened its self up to legal action from his legal team & only to see him signed for one of our competitors.Needless to say Ben will have to do great things for me to reguard him as one of the Rovers Family.

What's the club going to do? Lock him up themselves. Personally, they should have given him a season ticket at the KC... that's a tad harsh though.

It's the good course of action from the club, basically giving him a suspended sentence themselves.

Let's see if Saints and Pryce and Warrington with Reardon follow suit. It was far easier to sack Hayward at Cas and therefore that decision wasn't the biggest of moves.

As far as what Rovers have done; If you were a mate of Ben Cockayne or a member of his family or even the lad himself, would you feel that Rovers have been pretty firm with you, compared to what other clubs have done with first team players convicted of violent crimes, but not given custodial sentences?

If you think the courts got it wrong, fair enough - but it is not up to Rovers to compensate.

Even Hutchie thinks Rovers have got it right ffs.

I don't think Paul Cooke can have had a problem, he came to work in our school for a while.

Would he be able to

CRB checks and all that ??

So you:
Disapprove loudly of Paul Cooke's record in off-the-field matters
Fall over yourself to defend Cockayne, playing down an attack resulting in 7 broken ribs as something no worse than an everyday playground scuffle
Are adamant that no further sanctions against Cockayne should be imposed
Vigorously applaud the club for applying further sanctions.

Lordy.

I see your point, but its hardly a punishmnet to a professional RL player imo.

were did you get that information from?

and the lad invloved actually started it himself, charlie was sticking up for a mate but had taken things to far.

7 broken ribs
Broken nose
Severe head swelling
Black eye

Reported in the HDM. If these are untrue, I'd imagine Cockayne's legal team are on it.

Avoiding jail and keeping his job - I'd say Ben is a very lucky boy. Last chance saloon methinks...

Ben should count himself lucky at the decision made by Rovers. However if I was in charge at Craven Park I doubt I would have been so lenient...

Be interesting to see if he can keep his nose clean.

I guess it's how an individual defines "Community Service" - cleaning up chewing gum etc. is where you might see an immediate (albeit temporary) benefit, educating the young and impressionable may well have a longer lasting benefit to the community....that, however, is a point that can be debated forever and a day I guess...

Disappearing would be the best service he could provide for the community.

No probs with that ban. Longer would have sent out a stronger message but on the basis that the club will help to rehabilitate him, fair enough.

I'd recommend a hankerchief if he can't

Along with Heyward, Thompson, Raynor, Pyce, Reardon, Bowyer, Woodgate etc. etc.

Not really practical in the real world...

I like Ben as a player, but was totally sickened by what he did! I will never think of Ben the way I once did. If it was up to me he would have gone to jail.

Saying all this, the court has made it's judgement, no matter what some may think of it. Rovers could have sacked him for him to be snapped up by some other club, how would that of helped him? Answer is it wouldn't, it wouldn't teach him a thing! Our club has once again proved it's professionalism, by punishing (unlike other clubs in the same position) and at the same time supporting Ben to hopefully become a better person.

I hope he uses this experience to help make a difference.

Well done Rovers.

1. Big difference in both, if you know the full story.
2. Nope, said he had been punished, never condoned what he did. The injuries reported in the HDM I understand are a slight over exageration. never defined it as 'an everday playground scuffle' what I said was my daughter said she had seen as bad at school - they don't have playgrounds at secondary by the way.
3. I don't have a problem with the sanctions imposed by the club, but he has now been punished by the courts and by the club, there is no need for the rugby league to get involved or they could be setting a big precedent.

Are you going to disect everyone else's posts in the same way?

Probably why society is in the mess it is.

With a bit of granny spit, just the ticket

Which is why impartial courts and juries decide the outcome of such cases in this country.

.

So guess you say everything if fine , eh ? . Have you ever had a good kicking from a thug ?

It was reported on Radio Humberside by a Look North reporter that the prosecutor was amazed Keil Thompson didn’t receive any injuries apart from bruising and a cut on his face.