Why Liam Horne was banned but Rhyse Martin wasn’t as tribunal minutes revealed

The Rugby Football League’s disciplinary process has taken centre stage again on Tuesday, with two similar charges receiving very different punishments.

Rhyse Martin and Liam Horne were both charged with Grade E unnecessary contact and ordered to face tribunals, with Martin ultimately escaping without a ban, but Horne landing a huge six-game suspension.

Castleford will appeal that ban in the coming days but now, Love Rugby League can reveal the minutes from the respective tribunals – and why each decision was made.

Liam Horne: Guilty

Castleford entered their tribunal hearing with footage they believed would swing the decision their way – and a letter of support from Wigan Warriors confirming that Kaide Ellis, the player in question, was not injured.

Horne’s defence revolved around him believing Ellis was time-wasting, due to the fact the incident took place in the final minute of the match. The notes say: “LH (Horne) explained that he pulled the opponent by the shirt because he believed he was time wasting and not injured.

“This was indicated by the opponent’s laughter and smirk. LH emphasised that there was no malicious intent in his actions and that he was not trying to injure the opponent.

“LH then answered questions from the Compliance Manager. When asked what was required from him once a tackle was complete, he replied that he should step away and not be in contact with the opponent.

“When asked how he knew that the opponent was not injured, LH said his laughter and smirk indicated he was not injured. The CM then asked about LH’s qualifications to assess injuries, LH responded by saying he knew the opponent and believed he wouldn’t be laughing if he was injured.”

However, it was not enough. Horne admitted to grabbing the opponent but the contact was ultimately deemed to be ‘significant and against regulations’.

The notes say: “The Chair emphasised that the contact was significant and in contravention of the regulations (laws of the game), which state there should be no contact. The grabbing of the shirt was not considered trifling or minor.”

That led to the tribunal feeling they had a high standard of proof to uphold the charge given by the Match Review Panel.

Rhyse Martin: Not guilty

Martin, on the other hand, was able to disprove his charge, with the help of Hull KR owner Neil Hudgell – a regular attendee at tribunals whenever a Rovers player is hit with a serious offence.

Hudgell was able to prove that the Match Review Panel, in charging Martin, had been unable to prove that Martin had what was described as a ‘reckless disregard for the welfare of other players’, and insisted there was no clear and compelling evidence to support the charge.

The notes of the tribunal say: “NH (Hudgell) argued that RM’s (Martin) contact with the opponent was momentary and instinctive and not intended to cause harm.

“He emphasised that the action was brief and part of the natural flow of the game. NH highlighted the lack of evidence indicating the opponent was injured. He pointed out that the Referee and Physio did not express any concern about an injury, supporting the argument that the contact was not harmful.”

Martin addressed the panel, with the notes detailing: “He explained that his actions were instinctive and part of maintaining control during the tackle. He stated that he did not believe the contact was forceful enough to cause injury and that he did not realise the opponent was staying down.”

Ultimately, the tribunal panel fell in favour of Hudgell and Martin in this instance. They agreed the action was ‘instinctive and momentary’ and as such, it did not meet the criteria for unnecessary contact.

The contact was described as ‘de minimis’ – which means virtually nothing. That is why Martin’s charge was downgraded to Grade A head contact.