Leeds Rhinos news: match review panel reach verdict on James Donaldson after Boxing Day yellow card

But a change to the sport’s on-field misconduct rules means Donaldson has been fined, rather than banned.

The Rhinos man was yellow carded following a tackle on Trinity’s Oliver Pratt.

The match review panel, which met yesterday (Thursday), charged Donaldson with a dangerous throw and issued a £250 fine, but he was not suspended.

The panel minutes stated: “Other tackler’s actions were part of the problem (only applies where player is not aware of other tackler’s actions).”

Up until the end of the 2022 campaign, grade B charges carried a ban of one-two games – depending on the player’s previous record- and a fine would only be issued if the case went to a disciplinary hearing.

Now, a grade B offence will now result in either a fine, one-match suspension, or both.

Grade A offences - which previously could have led to a one-match penalty notice (ban) - will be punished by either a caution or a fine.

Grade C offences carry a suspension range of one-two matches – rather than the previous two-three – plus a fine.

Other tarrifs are: grade D, two-three matches and fine (previously three-five), grade E, three-five matches and fine (previously four-eight), grade F, six plus, or fixed period and fine (previously eight-plus, or set period).

Under other changes, it will now take three offences for a player to reach the top end of each grading boundary, compared with two in 2022.

Only grade E and F offences will lead to an automatic tribunal, with grade A-D offences included within the penalty notice framework.

The revisions follow a review by a group including Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington, along with RFL director of operations and legal Riobert Hicks, Richard Yates (RFL head of legal); Garreth Carvell (GMB union), Neil Hampshire (Hunslet), Kevin Nicholas (Batley Bulldogs) and Mike Rush (St Helens).

Meanwhile, Castleford Tigers’ Cain Robb and opponent Josh Hardcastle, of Featherstone Rovers, avoided punishment after being sin-binned during their sides’ New Year’s Eve derby.

Robb was cautioned for pushing and the review panel took no action against Hardcastle, stating: "Player is trying to regain feet and does not throw arm into the player.”