Castleford Tigers discover Liam Horne appeal outcome as verdict confirmed

Castleford Tigers’ Liam Horne will remain suspended for the next five games after an appeal failed at a tribunal on Tuesday evening.

Papua New Guinea international Horne was initially handed a six-match ban last week after it was deemed he had made unnecessary contact with Wigan Warriors forward Kaide Ellis during Cas’ defeat to the Warriors at The Jungle in Round 16.

Horne attempted to pull Ellis up from the ground in the closing stages of the game, with the Match Review Panel and an independent tribunal both agreeing that contact was potentially dangerous on an opponent who could have been injured.

Hull KR’s Rhyse Martin escaped any punishment for a very similar incident in the same round following citation, and Wigan themselves submitted a letter for the initial review confirming that Ellis was indeed not injured.

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Castleford Tigers discover Liam Horne appeal outcome as verdict confirmed

Despite the above, Horne was still handed a huge ban, and has so far missed one game – sitting out of the Tigers‘ loss against Huddersfield Giants, the match which proved to be Danny McGuire’s last as head coach.

Following Tuesday evening’s tribunal, in which the Tigers appointed high-profile legal expert Richard Cramer, their appeal was rejected.

A statement posted on the Tigers’ social media confirmed the outcome, and reads: “The club can confirm that the appeal of Liam Horne’s trial was unsuccessful.

“Castleford Tigers instructed Richard Cramer of Front Row Legal to fight the appeal on what was felt a solid argument however Liams sanction of 6 games and 36 points will remain.”

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