Tomkins blasts Magennis cheap shot
SAM Tomkins has accused St Helens’ Shaun Magennis of throwing a “cheap shot” as the fall-out into the Magic brawl rumbles on.
Lee Mossop faces a one-match ban after entering an early-guilty plea for his involvement in the fight, while Gareth Hock and Chris Tuson – who were both sent off – face the RFL disciplinary panel tonight on grade B and C charges respectively, and could be suspended for up to three matches.
Any bans would decimate Shaun Wane’s pack after scans yesterday confirmed Harrison Hansen has suffered a fractured jaw and will be sidelined for a few weeks.
Magennis, who was also sent off last Sunday, has been charged with a more serious grade D offence (three to five matches) after appearing to blindside Tuson.
And Tomkins has aimed a stinging attack at the Saints forward.
He said: “Magennis got a real cheap shot on Tuson.
“That’s not what it’s about.
“If a fight’s going to kick off, it’s got to be fair, and what he did was a really cheap shot.”
Tuson retaliated to the punch with a flurry of blows.
Tomkins added: “He (Magennis) ended up getting dusted anyway.”
A duel between Hock and Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook started the brawl during the 53rd minute of Sunday’s headlining Magic game at the Etihad.
Prop McCarthy-Scarsbrook, unpunished at the time, has not been cited. Tomkins reckons the RFL should remember the emotions involved in a derby before dishing out punishments.
“It was one of those things, no one was really hurt... it should be sending off sufficient,” he said.
In sending Hock off but not punishing McCarthy-Scarsbrook, referee Ben Thaler effectively deemed the Wigan man was to blame for starting the brawl.
But second-rower Hock claimed: “He was sticking his head on me (McCarthy-Scarsbrook) so I just retaliated.”
With Hansen injured and Mossop missing, young forwards Dom Crosby and Tom Spencer are on stand-by for Friday’s trip to Headingley.
Wigan, who were leading 34-6 at the time, held on with 11 men for a 42-16 win that keeps them top of the Super League.
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