Post by Cantankerous Gas on Sept 8, 2014 21:02:33 GMT
Keighley are considering taking legal action against the Rugby Football League after claiming its decision to not punish Batley for fielding an ineligible player has led to their relegation from the Championship.
The Cougars were condemned to the fifth and final relegation place on Sunday with a dramatic 26-24 defeat by Featherstone, who scored a last-gasp try, while Batley preserved their status courtesy of a 34-10 win over Doncaster to stay up by a solitary point.
However, Keighley are questioning how the Bulldogs were effectively unpunished for breaching dual-registration rules and fielding an ineligible player during a win against Sheffield on 27 July.
John Kear’s side were deducted three points by an RFL operational rules tribunal for playing Jacob Fairbank, who had failed to meet the minimum requirement of three matches on dual registration to make him eligible, with the second-row scoring a try in the 28-18 win.
But that sanction was quashed on appeal after the club had provided “fresh evidence relating to previous historical breaches of operational rules by other clubs which had not faced similar sanctions”.
The ruling, and the subsequent end to the season, has left Keighley fuming, with the chairman, Gary Fawcett, outlining his intentions in a statement on the club’s website.
“I spoke to the RFL yesterday straight after the match expressing that we are feeling very hard done to,” he said. “Currently, we are seeking legal advice regarding this problem.”
The Cougars were condemned to the fifth and final relegation place on Sunday with a dramatic 26-24 defeat by Featherstone, who scored a last-gasp try, while Batley preserved their status courtesy of a 34-10 win over Doncaster to stay up by a solitary point.
However, Keighley are questioning how the Bulldogs were effectively unpunished for breaching dual-registration rules and fielding an ineligible player during a win against Sheffield on 27 July.
John Kear’s side were deducted three points by an RFL operational rules tribunal for playing Jacob Fairbank, who had failed to meet the minimum requirement of three matches on dual registration to make him eligible, with the second-row scoring a try in the 28-18 win.
But that sanction was quashed on appeal after the club had provided “fresh evidence relating to previous historical breaches of operational rules by other clubs which had not faced similar sanctions”.
The ruling, and the subsequent end to the season, has left Keighley fuming, with the chairman, Gary Fawcett, outlining his intentions in a statement on the club’s website.
“I spoke to the RFL yesterday straight after the match expressing that we are feeling very hard done to,” he said. “Currently, we are seeking legal advice regarding this problem.”