Flannery: RFL bottled it over bans

St Helens forward Chris Flannery claims the RFL “bottled” it over bans handed to two Leeds stars this week.

Flannery, 29, spoke out against the governing body after Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Keith Senior received solitary match bans for incidents in last Friday’s fiesty clash between Saints and the Rhinos at Headingley.

Saints prop James Graham has been ruled out of this weekend’s game with Catalans due to a shoulder injury picked up in a “chicken-wing” tackle by Jones-Buchanan, which is also threatening to ruin the forward’s participation in the play-offs.

Flannery said: “The League have bottled it because they want the best players playing in the play-offs.”

Anything more than a one match ban for Senior and Jones-Buchanan would have resulted in them missing a play-off game, with Leeds likely to face Huddersfield in the first round of the finals series.

Australian Flannery signed for St Helens in 2007 from Sydney Roosters, and has covered for Saints in the back-row, at stand off and in the centres.