Castleford Tigers will appeal Liam Horne’s six-match suspension received at an RFL tribunal on Tuesday: with Danny McGuire calling the decision ‘bewildering’ and saying it ‘lacks common sense’.
Horne was handed a lengthy ban after being found guilty of attempting to pick up Wigan’s Kaide Ellis while he was on the floor during the closing stages of their defeat to the Warriors. It was deemed that Horne was guilty of unnecessary contact with a player who may have been injured.
Wigan sent a letter in to the tribunal supporting Horne and confirming Ellis was not injured, but it mattered little, with Horne being given a six-match ban that rules him out for an extended period, starting with Thursday’s clash against Huddersfield.
And McGuire insisted Castleford will not take the decision lightly and will appeal.
He said: “Yeah we’re taking some advice. We’re going to look at our options. We feel we’ve got a strong case. I don’t want an injured player being touched and my players are smart enough to know when someone is hurt.
“They wouldn’t touch them. But he was laughing and joking with Horney winding the time down. Liam is not that type of player to pick him up if he’s hurt. Wigan have sent a letter in saying he wasn’t hurt and I find it bewildering.”
McGuire continued by suggesting that the decision was made without ‘common sense’.
“I’m disappointed,” he said. “We’ve gone away from common sense in the game and gone away from looking at an incident with common sense. Everyone watching the clip back understands it.
“I’ve got nothing against the way Wigan played that last set. If we’re winning I’m telling my players to take their time with the ball and they’re well within the rights to do that.
“The ref has instructed him to get up and play the ball, Liam is anxious for us to attack and get back in the game. Wigan players are laughing and smiling and joking about the clock, it’s so obvious.”
And McGuire also warned that there has been little consideration given to Horne’s own mental wellbeing following the decision – and insisted players must be consulted in situations like these.
He said: “For the game to not understand and realise that is crazy and now Liam gets a six-game ban.
“We talk about players’ mental health.. what if he was out of contact and playing for his livelihood?
“And some person behind a screen is judging an incident on that, it’s crazy. We’re looking to do something about it. We’ve got a very strong appeal. There’s a similar incident in another game that went the other way.”
