WITHOUT referees, there would be no rugby league fixtures.
Being the man or woman in the middle is a daunting task with thousands of eager eyes waiting for decisions to be made.
Unfortunately, players can sometimes lose their cool and emotions – an event which occurred in a recent Challenge Cup fixture between the London Broncos and Dewsbury Rams.
Perry Whiteley, of the Rams, has been banned for two games and fined £40 for “foul and abusive language towards a match official.”
The official minutes from the Disciplinary Match Review Panel state: “Law 15.1 (g) Questioning the integrity of a Match Official Grade D.”
Whiteley will now miss Dewsbury’s next two games against the London Skolars and Doncaster.
Meanwhile, Keighley Cougars’ Luke Gale has been fined £125 for late contact on a passer. The minutes state: “Dangerous Contact – A defending player makes contact with an opponent after the ball has been released by an opponent in a vulnerable position which causes flexion to the head, neck or spinal column on an attacking player, which poses an unacceptable risk of injury to that player. Grade A.”
Bradford Bulls academy player, Jake Goldthorpe Smith, has been banned for one game for a shoulder charge. The minutes state: “Law 15.1 (a) Strikes – hand, arm or shoulder – reckless. Grade C.”
