Huddersfield Giants half-back Danny Brough has been suspended for two games by the RFL’s disciplinary panel: and it has prompted an unhappy response from Salford owner Marwan Koukash.
Brough will miss Huddersfield’s Qualifiers games against Featherstone and Batley following a guilty plea after being charged with a Grade C strike of the elbow on Salford’s Logan Tomkins.
However, Koukash has responded on social media, venting his frustration and asking the RFL to explain their reasoning behind the decision, saying:
Incidentally, the RFL always post reasonings for all of their decisions online, and in this instance, they said of the decision to hand Brough a two-game ban:
@TheRFL you should explain your decision. For everyone watching, it was deliberate elbow to Logan’s head .
— Marwan Koukash (@drmarwanK) August 9, 2016
“The tribunal are satisfied this was a clear case of misconduct as accepted by the player in his plea of guilt. It is argued it was not deliberate or reckless contact and contact was with the forearm.
“The DVD shows there is clear contact with the opponents head whilst he is in a vulnerable position and unable to defend himself. The player argues contact was made whilst he was trying to push himself off from the tackle. This tribunal feel there were other ways he could have left the tackle.
“The contact was not forceful but could be described as a cheap shot and had the potential for serious injury. This tribunal are satisfied the grading is correct at Grade C. The tribunal are aware the player does not have a bad previous disciplinary record and has been in the game for a long number of years.
“Taking this into consideration this tribunal feel they can go to the lower end of the grading and impose a 2 match suspension and a £300 fine.”