Batley Bulldogs and Doncaster have had their three points deducted for fielding an ineligible player – as they confirmed via their own Twitter account this afternoon (Thursday).
Both clubs were initially found guilty of breaching Operational Rule B3.17 which states that dual registration players who have a salary cap value of £20,000 or more must have played in at least three league fixtures for the Championship club that season before the end-of-season registration deadline in order to play in games which fall after the deadline, whether they be regular season or play-off games.
Doncaster CEO Carl Hall confirmed on his personal Twitter account that the club have also gained their three points back after an appeal.
The decision has a major impact on the bottom end of the Championship table, with Batley now moving out of the drop zone on points difference thanks to their reprieve. As for Doncaster, they now move back to 54 points – one behind Halifax in third place, and just three points behind second-placed Featherstone Rovers.
An RFL statement said: “After being presented with fresh evidence relating to previous historical breaches of Operational Rules by other clubs which had not faced similar sanctions, the Appeals Tribunal sitting at Red Hall this afternoon overturned the points deductions.”
