Two Super League players suspended as Salford Red Devils prop escapes ban
Micky McIlorum in action for Catalans Dragons in 2023
Salford Red Devils prop King Vuniyayawa has escaped a suspension following the incident that saw him sent off during their victory at London Broncos – but two Super League players have been handed bans.
Catalans Dragons duo Michael McIlorum and Mike McMeeken are the two players to receive bans this week, with the pair banned for two and one matches respectively following incidents in their victory over Hull KR.
McIlorum has received two one-match bans for separate incidents in that game, a trip and a dangerous contact charge, both of which were Grade B. He will therefore miss the Dragons’ next two Super League fixtures.
Forward McMeeken will also be unavailable for Catalans this weekend. He was charged with a Grade B dangerous contact offence against the Robins too, and was handed a one-match ban.
The other player to be charged during that game was Robins forward Matty Storton, again for a Grade B dangerous contact offence – but he was handed a £250 fine rather than a suspension, given his previous good record.
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Salford supporters would have faced a nervous wait to see whether or not they would lose Vuniyayawa following a tip tackle during the win against London Broncos on Saturday afternoon. However, Vuniyayawa has been cleared of any offence.
That is despite him receiving a red card for the incident during the match – but he has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Match Review Panel, who have deemed the prop should not be charged.
In mitigation, the MRP said: “Player lifts one leg of opponent and walks round with leg of opponent but never lifts above the hip. Opponent still has one leg on the ground.
“Opponent is being tackled in the upper body by two of player’s team mate and is twisted round and lands on his neck and shoulder. Player not solely responsible for the mechanics of the tackle and cannot be solely attributed to placing opponent in a dangerous position.”
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