Quote Jemmo="Jemmo"If they fine AND deduct points, they're potentially fining twice. Once with the real fine, and again with how much it costs to lose some league places.
Or worse, it could cost someone their existence if it causes them to fall into League One.
I am not saying there should be no punishments, or points deductions, just emphasising how much thought needs to go into this.
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I am trying to think of anyone who could have played in his place; the only player I can think of is Tom Hodson who has not been available for the last 2 weeks; how do you prove someone was, or was not, fit for selection two weeks ago?'"
Would Shaun Leaf or Chris Spurr have been available had Ben Crooks not played? I doubt the RFL would consider any form of leniency though if we said we played Ben Crooks because we had nobody else.
If found guilty, I would suspect we'll definitely lose the Keighley bonus point. The question would then be whether there's a fine as well, or additional points deduction. Considering it's 9 points for going into administration, anything more than a 3 point penalty would surely seem harsh?
The Batley case with Sheffied poses a slightly different challenge for the RFL as Sheffield lost the game. Will Sheffield be awarded three points if Batley are found guilty, whilst Batley would be docked three points (minimum)?
The impacts of these decisions could be huge, as Jemmo points out. It really does need to be thought through properly by the RFL.
