A disciplinary panel will meet early today to discuss if any players are penalised after the first Test of the rugby league Ashes.
It was quite an uneventful game in terms of disciplinary matters so the hopes are that it will be a case of all clear and play on in Everton, however, disciplinary matters are rarely as simple as that.
It’s even tougher on the international stage and that’s been evident in pre-series talk around officiating, given the blend of two competitions and the fact Super League and the NRL play to slightly different rules, despite playing the same sport.
The Australian media have already aired their grievances about Liam Moore’s refereeing performance with the Super League official labelled as ‘embarrassing’ by one columnist down under.
Even Englishman James Graham called Moore out on a couple of occasions but he won’t be in action for the second Test with Australia Grant Atkins already appointed to that, with a decision still to be made on the third Test at Headingley.
In terms of disciplinary matters post-match, a panel comprising Paul Cullen from the RFL and Luke Patten from Australia’s equivalent have been confirmed and they’ll be assessing Saturday’s action.
Hull KR man fearing Ashes ban
In terms of which Australians may have fears that they might be banned for the second Test at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, star man Reece Walsh and prop forward Tino Fa’asumaleaui could have slight sweats.
Both men saw incidents go unpunished that could certainly be argued as deserving of penalties, but it’s unlikely that they would warrant bans, if they’re even punished.
For England, there could be a greater concern though as Jez Litten was one of just seven players to concede a penalty but the Hull KR man has racked up 5.5 points on the RFL’s disciplinary meaning he’s one charge away from a ban.
Should that be punished and RFL rules regarding penalty points be applied then Litten would be banned for the second Test and that would be a huge blow given how impressive he was.
In terms of the aforementioned Australian players, Walsh’s indiscretion was more obvious with the full-back grabbing Herbie Farnworth by the collar of his shirt to prevent the England centre from chasing down Josh Addo-Carr on his kick return.
It went unpunished at the time but saw a huge rise from the Wembley crowd and England were perhaps unlucky not to get a penalty in good territory.
As for Fa’asumaleaui, he landed a huge shot on Jake Wardle and then followed it up with a swinging arm to try and wrap but that arm appeared to catch the Wigan winger high.
Again, it was unpunished but if the disciplinary process works as in England where the full match is reviewed, then it could be picked up on a second viewing.
Bans in international rugby league are rare but not unprecedented with Matty Lees picking up a one-match ban during the 2023 series against Tonga.
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