Disciplinary news as 16 charged by match review panel including Hull FC, Wigan Warriors and Hull KR stars

The opening weekend of the compatition saw four players sent-off and another nine sin-binned as referees cracked down on contact to an opponent’s head. Nine players have received a suspension, with another three ordered to appear before a disciplinary tribunal on Tuesday.

Reacting to the large number of charges, RFL director of operations and legal Robert Hicks said: “As we have outlined in various forums in the build-up to the Betfred Super League season, there have been a number of changes to the head contact sanctioning framework for 2024 and match officials and the match review panel share the responsibility for implementing these changes.

“The number of yellow and red cards shown in the opening round of the Betfred Super League has already become a talking point and doubtless the number of charges arising from the MRP meeting will be similar, but it is important to provide some context. Of the 13 cards shown, 10 of the incidents would have led to a card being shown under the framework that applied in 2023. One area which has made a difference is in head-on-head contact and the responsibility of attacking and tackling players in this area.

“Just as the sport should be grateful to the commitment of match officials and the MRP in implementing change at such a pivotal period for the sport, we also reiterate our gratitude to clubs, coaches and players for their positive approach over recent months. It was a highly successful opening round of Betfred Super League fixtures and it is right that the focus is already turning to the second round of matches, and also the Betfred World Club Challenge.” Here’s the full list of charges and punishments.