Why Liam Knight wasn’t charged by Match Review Panel after red card

Hull FC star Liam Knight has avoided a charge from the Match Review Panel despite being the only player shown a red card at Magic Weekend.

Knight was dismissed in the closing stages of the first half during Sunday afternoon’s loss for the Black and Whites against Huddersfield Giants.

He made contact with Huddersfield’s Sam Hewitt, just seconds after his team-mate, Sam Eseh, was sent to the sin-bin for a dangerous tackle on Giants forward Matty English.

Knight’s red card prompted a huge reaction from Hull’s player on the field but his coach, John Cartwright, described the moment as ‘dumb’ post-match.

However, the Match Review Panel have decided that the forward should face no further action for his tackle, with a sending off deemed to be sufficient punishment.

They acknowledged that Knight’s contact was ‘reckless’ – but contact with the head was ‘secondary and minimal’.

They wrote: “Player comes in a reckless manner however contact is mainly all on the body and contact with the head is secondary and minimal. Player comes in front and arm is loose ready to wrap but impact of contact takes opponent away.”

That summary will prompt a major debate as to why Knight was sent off in the first place given how it was reviewed at great length.

It will be the latest decision to cause a huge reaction from supporters, coaches and players. Knight, however, is now free to play in Hull’s next fixture after being cleared of any further punishment.

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