Despite Securing a Dominant Victory, St Helens Lose Key Player to Suspension
St Helens’ impressive 60-point triumph over the Castleford Tigers this past weekend was marred by the news that one of their star players, Tommy Makinson, has been handed a ban by the RFL Match Review Panel.
The Saints were down to 12 men for much of the match after Makinson was sent off for a high tackle on Tex Hoy. Despite the numerical disadvantage, St Helens managed to run in 10 tries, including a hat-trick from Waqa Blake and two apiece from Jack Welsby and James Bell. Sione Mata’utia opened the scoring, but the Tigers responded with a penalty try.
“In a further blow, Liam Horne’s red card in the second half saw the game reduced to 12-a-side, as Craig Lingard’s Castleford side suffered a collapse.”
The RFL has now confirmed that Makinson has been charged with a Grade C Head Contact offence and will miss the upcoming clash against the Leeds Rhinos at the Totally Wicked Stadium in Round 12 of the Super League. Referee Jack Smith deemed the tackle to warrant a red card, with no mitigating factors.
Wigan Warriors’ Liam Byrne has also been handed a Grade C Head Contact charge, despite receiving a yellow card for his tackle in the first 10 seconds of their victory over the Huddersfield Giants. Byrne will sit out two games, as his sanction is at the higher end of the grading due to a previous ban this year.
Additionally, Liam Horne has been suspended for one game following a Grade C Dangerous Throw/Lift charge.
The full list of players banned this Super League season can be found online.
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