League Express Mailbag 4th November 2024

My own story might help provide some meat on the bones of that particular point.

One of the problems of a professional tribunal is that it often focuses almost exclusively on the alleged offence, rather than considering the wider added value that a person brings to their work and profession.

Despite having not read the report myself, it does seem apparent to me that Mark’s value and legacy for Rugby League and consequently the wider physical and mental health benefits that the sport brings to the local community in Sheffield and South Yorkshire more generally, means that his impact on grassroots sport is immense.

The 18-month ban not only ignores Mark’s previous impeccably good character, but doesn’t acknowledge any mitigation for his remarkable role in the growth of Rugby League in South Yorkshire.

My memories of Mark go right back to around 1990, when I was 14 years old and Mark, along with Daryl Powell, would visit my school on a weekly basis to take PE lessons and coach us to play Rugby League. I was a sports mad teenager and a huge Sheffield Wednesday fan, just like most of my mates. But Mark and Daryl not only took PE lessons at my school, Hinde House in the Wincobank area of Sheffield, but coached Rugby League across many of Sheffield’s secondary schools. This coaching was designed to encourage kids in a football mad city to consider playing the fantastic sport of Rugby League and of course to establish the sport in our city.

This initiative worked spectacularly. My mates and I had never played any form of rugby before, but were hugely taken by the sport, and couldn’t believe that we had two Sheffield Eagles players who were both Division 1 stars who would visit our school on a regular basis to coach us. You honestly couldn’t imagine two stars of Sheffield Wednesday or Sheffield United making the effort to coach schoolkids.

This commitment by Mark to spreading the gospel of Rugby League felt like it had come full circle this year when my own 14-year-old son (who has learning disabilities) joined the Sheffield Eagles Learning Disability Team, which that he absolutely loves and which has provided some incredible sporting opportunities, including joining his team-mates to wave flags on the hallowed turf at Wembley as Mark Aston’s, Sheffield Eagles and (ironically) Daryl Powell’s, Wakefield Trinity teams entered the field of play for the 1895 Cup Final.

And later in the season my son Lucas also played for the Eagles Learning Disability Team in front of more than 20,000 Rugby League fans at this season’s Magic Weekend.

Not only would these opportunities have never arisen if the Eagles had died in 2000 without Mark’s determination to keep the sport alive in our great city, but I’ve always loved how much every member of the Eagles Learning Disability Team absolutely loved Mark, and how at Eagles training sessions and Eagles matches, Mark has always had so much time to talk to, and encourage the players of the Learning Disability Team who idolise him.

So what has happened to Mark fails to acknowledge the vast difference he’s made to the lives of both young and vulnerable people across our city, and how he has inspired hundreds, maybe thousands across this city to play Rugby League and sport in general, across a career of more than four decades.

I don’t know whether this story will help Mark’s cause but if there’s any justice in the world it absolutely should.

I agree entirely with the way he has analysed the situation and the principles he has espoused.

Clearly head-injury protocols are vital in today’s game, but the apparent absence of any evidence that this was a deliberate attempt to avoid the regulations leads to the assumption that it was an administrative mistake.

Unless something to the contrary is produced, this is an extremely harsh penalty that could undermine the hard work done to develop Rugby League through Sheffield Eagles in a predominantly soccer city.

Keep up the good work.

To say I’m disappointed in the handling of the recent situation involving a decision to ban Mark for 18 months is an understatement.

Firstly, because the RFL has double standards. It wasn’t that long ago a Wigan player was clearly knocked out in a crucial game for Wigan, yet was allowed to play on after only leaving the field for a short time.

Secondly, I’ve never known a human being so caring for everyone that is involved at a club. That’s at every level.

You only have to read the tweets to see that. Many players have shown their support, including Matty Marsh.

It was an admin error and it’s that simple. Mark was told Matty had passed his HIA. Matty had been out 13 days, which is two more than normally necessary.

The RFL has made an example of Mark, but they wouldn’t dare do that with a Super League coach.

The hearing wasn’t even a fair one and the RFL hasn’t given all the minutes, just the ones they wanted out there.

If Mark appeals it should be to an independent sports panel and not the RFL.

I accept the transgression, but the punishment is totally out of proportion and could have disastrous consequences for Mark and the Eagles.

Mark Aston has contributed massively to Rugby League generally and to Sheffield Eagles in particular for almost 40 years. His record and reputation for promoting the game and caring for players is exceptional. He deserves far better treatment from the authorities.

I hope fans and other clubs will rally round and support him.

I very sincerely hope that sense will prevail and he will be allowed to continue with his career and mission to develop Rugby League in Sheffield.

On a wider issue, from reading the Tribunal judgement, I am staggered and embarrassed that the RFL apparently doesn’t have a coherent, comprehensive policy about tracking the HIA protocol.

For example, I would expect a match referee to be able to check the team sheet against ‘Gameday’ for both suspensions and returns from HIA. So against Wigan, Matty Marsh should have been on Gameday as still excluded from playing, because the RFL had not been notified by the Eagles’ club doctor that she had not signed Matty off as passing all his protocols.

The RFL argue that their gameday selection system doesn’t take HIA into consideration. So surely the main question here is, why not?

Mark and Mick have a combined 60-plus years of unblemished service to Rugby League, and the RFL tribunal seems to have not taken this into account at all.

Mark himself has been awarded countless accolades throughout his career, but these events have cast a very dark shadow over his lifetime commitment to Rugby League in the steel city.

The RFL has deemed it appropriate to dish out a far too lengthy ban, while other players, clubs and individuals who commit, in my opinion, far worse crimes get off with less. In this past playing season, we have seen the RFL investigate and punish very serious issues with shorter and less severe repercussions.

Lastly, I’d like to add that the Sheffield Eagles supporters have set up a GoFundMe to aid Mark in his appeal against the case, as his legal team have indicated it will cost £15,000 to attempt to clear his name. That can be found using this link: https://gofund.me/0b647905

The reputation and status of the England or Great Britain Lions is firmly embedded in our Rugby League history and heritage, ever since the Northern Union faced Australia at Park Royal in London in 1908.

Rugby League Commercial and their counterparts in Australia deserve credit for arriving at the point where the proposed series is most likely to happen.

Rugby League’s international reputation and profile will be significantly enhanced with this tour and if stadiums such as Wigan, Headingley and Hull were chosen as venues, then capacity crowds with that special Ashes atmosphere would be guaranteed.

How on earth this pinnacle showcase of Rugby League Football was ever allowed to become absent from the cycle of international sport is a huge indictment of the leadership and management of the game worldwide.

All those British Lions past and present (and their families) who toured the Antipodes and battled the Aussies on home soil will be thrilled to see the return of the ultimate test of sporting endeavour.

Let us hope that this is the start of a consolidated calendar which embraces this fixture both home and away for years to come.

PS: I would like to highly recommend a book that has just been published by London League Publications “RL  Nostalgia” – an amazing compilation of stories and highlights from our Rugby League history written by Dave Jones. I cannot put it down!

Rather than saying IMG was a squib, why not say the clubs that bought into is succeeded and got a grade A?

Surely we should be commending them rather than talking down the whole process.

We as a sport have for years tried to improve standards in many areas and with Wakefield, Castleford, Leigh, York, London and Keighley all significantly improving their grades it is finally happening.

Let’s embrace the future and think about the positives this can have for the game.

Greater Manchester is an administrative district, as is Merseyside. The traditional county of Lancashire still exists.

Following Local Government reorganisation in 1974, the Post Office, quite rightly, uses Lancs as the postal address for places like Wigan, Oldham, Bury, Bolton, Leigh, Salford and all the other townships covered by GMC.

Traditional Lancashire still includes Warrington (much to the chagrin of many who want to say they live in Cheshire), Widnes, St Helens and Barrow.

The present administration of Lancashire County Council does not cover Blackpool, for example, and who’s going to argue that Blackpool isn’t in Lancashire. (Or Blackburn)

Traditional countries are recognised throughout the country, just ask folk in Yorkshire.

Jonathan was of the opinion that more ‘hard-hitting music’ should be booked by Rugby League Commercial.

It got me thinking which possible bands would be suitable for such an occasion.

With the ludicrous IMG gradings covered in great detail elsewhere in the paper, in my opinion, the only band suitable for the RFL to book alongside IMG is Simple Minds!