Cunningham joke?

[OAMJSONA]

Me too - here's my effort:

Sent to the RFL

Dear Sir,

I feel compelled to write and ask the RFL to review their current “standards” regarding player discipline both on and off the field of play.

Having watched the St Helens/Wakefield match, I think that it is an absolute disgrace that a player can fracture another player’s eye socket and escape with a meaningless caution. The sky sports pictures clearly showed that Cunningham punched Stosic in the face in what was a calculated piece of thuggery. St Helens then went on to score whilst the Wakefield player was on the ground. That “play” could have decided the match – luckily it didn’t.

How is Cunningham’s attack any different to Terry Newton’s attack on Sean Long? Newton was banned for 6 months. Both attacks were intended to cause damage to an unsuspecting opponent and in my opinion (and the opinion of every other Rugby League fan I have spoken to) he should receive the same ban as Newton did. Stosic will not be playing next weekend – so why should Cunningham? Could you please explain why he received such a ridiculously lenient treatment (some would suggest favouritism) from the RFL? David Howells was recently banned for an elbow to the face of Sam Tomkins and Sam received no lasting injury; so how can a cheap shot that causes such a serious injury be dealt with by giving a player a (pointless) caution.

It is situations such as this that are the reason that so many Rugby League fans have so little respect or time for the sports governing body. Someone suggested that the reason that Cunningham was not banned is because the RFL is planning on giving him “Man of Steel” this year and a ban would prevent that. Whether there is even a scrap of truth in this is irrelevant – it is decisions such as this by the RFL that help to make rumours such as this flourish. Having seen the actions of the RFL this week; I am seriously considering placing a sizeable bet on Cunningham taking “Man of Steel”

This is yet another ridiculous decision by the RFL. Currently Gareth Hock is about to be banned from the sport for 2 years for taking a recreational drug that hurt no-one but himself. However we currently have several players in Super League (Cockayne, Pryce etc) who are currently serving sentences for vicious attacks off the field (Cockayne’s was particularly repulsive to watch) and we also have a player that is appealing a custodial sentence for hospitalizing his own girlfriend with a bottle. If Hock deserves to be banned for two years (and I think that he does for setting a bad example) – then so do all the players who have been convicted of violent assaults. The fact that Bird was refused a visa for the UK; but comes here every other week with the dragons shows just how little courage the RFL has. The RFL should have said “if you are ineligible to play for one SL club (on the basis of a visa) then you are ineligible for all of them”.

I hope that the RFL will have the moral courage to review the example that it is setting both to young RL players and the community at large

Yours Faithfully

very well written i applaud you

[highland convert]

The inconsistancy deepens Ferres and Mathers bth handed bans for Dangerous and a high tackle. Pryce/ Wilkins no case to answer. Sickening.
Wellens away for a month broken hand, Jim

[Matthew]

Reply from RFL
Matthew,

Thank you for your recent email,

Keiron Cunningham was issued with a formal caution: he was not found 'not guilty'. A formal caution means that the match review panel considered that he was guilty of misconduct and this will now appear on his disciplinary record (and will therefore be taken into account by the Operational Rules Tribunal in deciding sanction if he is found guilty of any offence in the future).

The reason the MRP decided to issue a formal caution rather than refer the matter to the Operational Rules Tribunal can be found on the disciplinary section of our website. In summary the Panel did not consider the strike to be particularly violent or aggressive and the Panel felt that he should be given the benefit of the doubt that any contact with Stosic's eye was accidental.

I hope this helps and again thank you for taking the time to contact the RFL

Kind Regards

Feedback

Total cop out - they may as well have e-mailed me telling me to mind my own business.

[highland convert]

Matthew, guess what
Hello,



Thank you for your recent email,



Keiron Cunningham was issued with a formal caution: he was not found 'not guilty'. A formal caution means that the match review panel considered that he was guilty of misconduct and this will now appear on his disciplinary record (and will therefore be taken into account by the Operational Rules Tribunal in deciding sanction if he is found guilty of any offence in the future).



The reason the MRP decided to issue a formal caution rather than refer the matter to the Operational Rules Tribunal can be found on the disciplinary section of our website. In summary the Panel did not consider the strike to be particularly violent or aggressive and the Panel felt that he should be given the benefit of the doubt that any contact with Stosic's eye was accidental.



I hope this helps and again thank you for taking the time to contact the RFL



Kind Regards



Feedback

Wonder how many can post the blanket response

[highland convert]

My response
Sorry but your stock answer does not sit well by anyone who saw it on Sky. It was a vicious head punch to a static target. Serious injury incurred by the opposition player. Players are banned for far less. Why was Cunningham dealt with so leniently? While escaping your net time after time he is known as a dirty player with facial attacks his standard play. Has clubs the right to appeal against this leniency?
The stink that is rising round all the club websites re this attack will not die down and the credibility of your HQ is again on the line,
Jim

[trotski_tgwu]

Standard reply i got the same, def a cop out. the powers that be have no bottle and just goes to show RL is starting to go down the road of Wrestling all about making sure certain teams win and no consistancy within the rules.

But are we surprised? you could have put money on that reply and won big time

[Linzi]

Are you suprised that you all got the same response? I'm sure its not a good use of resources to employ someone to reply individually to all the whinging emails every week.

The Cunningham incident was a jab at the face, I don't believe that it was a brutal attack like some are making out. It wasn't spotted by the ref at the time and has been dealt with by the RFL with a caution. If I remember correctly Hanson got binned earlier in the season for punching (as it was seen by the ref) and didn't receive a ban either.

[El Bobbers]

Think Mick Hogan has done a pretty good job in replying to the whinging emails from Wigan fans Didn't he even ring some people up?

He broke the guy's cheek bone, if some one did that to you in the street would you shrug it off or phone the police?

[OAMJSONA]

Think Mick Hogan has done a pretty good job in replying to the whinging emails from Wigan fans Didn't he even ring some people up?

He broke the guy's cheek bone, if some one did that to you in the street would you shrug it off or phone the police?

i think Feka should do to cunnigham what he did to Graham last year ( and it was legal) beacuse he will obviously not get banned if he breaks his jaw

oh sorry he will get banned because he does not play for the plastic scousers

[BriH]

John Kear - who is he coaching? Saints or Wakefield?

I have just read his remark about his player Stosic vs KFC. He (Kear) says "there was nothing in it", "Kieran's a great guy", etc.
Also, it is rumoured that he consoled Wellens after his terrible game against his own team!!!
Is he after Mick Potters job?

Anyway, I have sent a letter to Richard Lewis expressing my anger at recent events.