Gronk! wrote:
Punching someone = no ban
Headbutting someone = 2 games
Grab someone by the throat = not even cited
"recklessly" (i.e. we don't know if he actually meant it) knee someone = 2-3 games
Can't beat RFL logic, that's for sure!
On the other hand, would actually benefit Cas if he misses the semi final (if Mariano & Millington are fit, that is) because his brain farts have cost Cas wins already this season and you don't want him to do it again in a semi final.
When you put those decisions in the context they're all at least reasonable.
We'll leave the grabbing someone part out because it's not the playground at an all girls school.
Punching someone after he swung his arm and then stuck his head into your head. Sin binned at the time and a player with an excellent disciplinary record. - Seems fairly reasonable to me.
Head butting someone. Not sure why it'd be treated be more harshly than kneeing someone in the head? But all sane people acknowledgement it was a pretty light headbutt and was highly unlikely to cause injury. Player was sent off, submitted an early guilty plea and had a spotless disciplinary record. - Seems reasonable to me and most other sane people.
So if Hauraki gets 2 games, it's hardly an anti-Cas conspiracy or raving inequity in the disciplinary system.
Personally I don't think he should be banned, I thought it was accidental, non-malicious and is the sort of thing that happens in a tackle. But then I thought that about Sinfield's too.
So in the context of the Sinfield decision, 2-3 games would seem about right.