Rugby league is seriously flawed by the people responsible for enforcing the standards.
In the last week, Radford has had his ban lifted but still been declared guilty.
Buderus has had his ban lifted but still been found guilty.
Castleford have had £20,000 knocked off their ban for homophobic chanting but still declared guilty.
I am not questioning the guilt or innocence on any of these incidents. What is apparent though is that the people who have passed sentence initially have got it seriously wrong. When a player is banned one day, but the next day it is adjudged that he doesn't deserve banning even though still guilty, surely someone should be questioning the process. During the play offs this can have major consequences for a teams finances - as with the Castleford debacle.
The whole system needs reviewing, unfortunately it is the people in charge who are incompetent.
“Usually the fans that abuse players like Sam have never done anything of any note themselves. They’re nobodies, whose greatest claim to fame is abusing someone who has, and these so-called ‘Eddie the Experts’ pretend to their mates that they have."
OJ wrote:Don't know why they don't just go to the appeals committee in the first place and cut out the bother of the middle man!
In my view, the very existence of a separate Appeals Committee implies that the Disciplinary Panel cannot be trusted to do the job in the first place. Especially when you consider the number of decisions which are amended on appeal!
This case is a prime example. The appeal was successful following a viewing of the incident from a 'new angle'. So why were all the available angles not viewed in the first analisys? Or were some bits of the evidence deliberately held back to pave the way for a successful appeal?
Rugby really does lead the way in sport in so many ways from the community work involving the fans to the way grown men act like grown men on the field but from someone who's only got in this sport in the last 7yrs or so its one area of the game that is ridiculous.
Its an absolute disgrace and laughable. Get the decision right 1st time round and stick with it. How hard is it? When you see a ban these days your 90% sure it will be overturned - how can that be?
What a shock! The invertebrates on the appeals board roll over once again at the bidding of the Leeds Whingoes. Sadly, our game seems to be unhealthily influenced by Gary the Gob at Headingley.
I have just forwarded my letter of disgust at the inept disciplinary panel,and that of the injustice of allowing Buderus to play. I would appreciate Wigan fans to do the same.
show details 7:56 PM (3 minutes ago)
I would just like my statement to be lodged with the rfl disciplinary board that you are an utter joke. We the general rugby supporters have no faith what so ever in the disciplinary panel as it is a joke! What on earth constitutes a spear tackle? And when will the rfl give fair and impartial judgement regarding the treatment of any player from Leeds appearing before it? The rugby League fraternity as a whole talks openly of the bias shown to Leeds by the rfl. You are an utter disgrace to rugby league and should hold your heads in shame. How on earth can we the general public have any faith in the rfl when you make such ludicrous decisions when it was quite clear to a blind man and his dog that this was nothing better than a spear tackle.If as stated by the rfl disciplinary panel Buderus was still guilty of the said offence! Then why allow him to play in the semis? If you considered his past record and concluded that he was of good character then please answer the following question. Why on earth did the panel give Stuart Fielding a one game ban for the act of defending himself against a cowardly and malicious action such as perpetrated by Mason. I could go on and on at the injustices shown by the disciplinary panel when dealing with offences committed by Wigan players. Once again can I place on record my utter disgust at the ineptitude of the governing body that is the rfl.