League 1 club receive ZERO in IMG gradings as RFL ‘targeted’ accusation made

League 1 club Keighley Cougars say they have been ‘targeted’ after being informed they will be given an IMG score of ZERO after submitting their information for the gradings system late.

The Cougars have been by far the biggest critics of the system and their owners, Ryan O’Neill and Kaue Garcia, reiterated their frustrations with the gradings in a recent interview with BBC Radio Leeds.

But they now insist they are being unfairly treated after they submitted their information to the RFL less than 24 hours after the original deadline had passed last month.

Garcia, who is also the club’s managing director, pointed to the case of Batley Bulldogs in 2024, who submitted their data seven days late but the RFL accepted it.

He then subsequently suggested the governing body have executed a ‘targeted attempt’ at being ‘silenced’.

“After speaking with Batley Bulldogs owner, Kevin Nicholas, he expressed surprise at how harshly we’ve been treated as they submitted their data one week later than the deadline in 2024 due to unforeseen circumstances,” Garcia said.

“This decision feels very retaliatory and targeted at us — a club that has been openly vocal in questioning IMG and the direction of the sport.

“It’s especially disappointing given the RFL’s past approach, where they worked with both Whitehaven and Batley in 2024 and allowed them to submit their data past the deadline, issuing provisional scores. This inconsistency only reinforces our feeling that we have been unfairly treated.”

The outcome means Keighley – who jumped from 30th to 19th in the gradings last year – will now be given zero and sit at the very bottom of the rankings.

“We can’t help but feel that this is a targeted attempt to silence and punish us,” Garcia added. “The RFL frequently promotes collaboration and transparency with its member clubs — but this decision does the exact opposite. It is punitive, inconsistent, and goes against the spirit of fair play.”