Thanks for this. So the decisions are made by people with good knowledge of the game. But does anyone know how the decisions on grading are made? How can one headbutt deemed to be less serious than another? How can there be three different suspensions for three red cards for the same offence in the Wigan v Saints game? I haven't seen that fight so don't know who started it but i'm guessing retaliation was part of it?

Anybody know?

The Wigan Saints scrap started with a crackpot of a back-rower pitching up at prop in a scrum against a fairly experienced prop and the heads began to rock n roll a bit until one or the other decided it was time for the fisticuffs. It's what some folks pay their money to see, it was a derby match & scrums are rubbish nowadays FFS
What narked me wasn't the brawl but Magennis plonked two Gooners while they had their backs turned, Mossop saw to it though. These situations referee themselves, unlike the Rangi Chase incident at Fev which was an outrageous assault that he thought he'd gotten away with. The problem isn't just the crime, it's the sentence, unfortunately, Ropati got the longest sentence for his innocence.
I've always said it as a player, coach or speccie of RL, anyone who willingly enters into a brawl must expect to get whatever comes their way, if you can't hack it, don't get yourself involved.
In all of this disciplinary nonsense this season, Ropati has been the biggest victim, that paints an ugly picture of today's professional rugby league & it's operating systems, i'd like to say regardless of which club he represents, but Featherstone Rovers are one of us, non-SL & it stinks rotten.

The game is now become a joke. The consistancy is not there regarding Reffing or against the decisions made after. What happened to Ropati was a disgrace. The poor lad has been left in a mess by one the golden boys of SL. 3 matches for that is a disgrace and the way Chase has done things even worse. Whether Chase intended to or not he has ruined the life of Ropati for a good year. But as per usual the RFL look after their golden boys. Rugby League is a game of passion and energy. Sometimes it gets out of control like Wigan v Sts- but nobody was hurt and it was just a bit of nothing really. The game is going too clean and OTT.I cant understad why Hock for example got 2 matches for throwing a couple or retaliating punches compared to the 3 match ban for Chase. IMHO there was no need for any red cards in that game except for the Sts Lad who was wildly throwing punches who maybe should have got 1 or 2 match ban. It seems to me that the RFL are saying a nasty vicious attack on an innocent player who is left without a job with little money is the same as throwing a couple of punches in a passionate derby game and nobody got injured in the fight. RFL one again show how useless they are

If you feel that you've been shafted, look at this clip from 2 minutes (or better still all of it)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v

I was so incensed at the decision that I emailed John Ledger, who respondedThe difference between a dangerous throw and a spear tackle is that the latter is where a player in possession is physically driven into the ground on his head or neck. A dangerous throw is where a player is picked up and dropped on his head.

Both the MRP and Disciplinary Committee felt this incident was a dangerous throw rather than a spear tackle.

The mitigating circumstances in the sentencing were that the players involved both pleaded guilty, hence the two match ban.

Your assertion that this is the third similar offence of a similar nature is incorrect

I used to respect John Ledger's coverage of the game when he worked for the Yorkshire Post - but no more after he's sold his soul to the RFL!

Plead 'guilty' and everything's OK, despite the fact that you could have killed or at best maimed a fellow player!

Just wait for 'one of the boys' to be appointed to Lewis' job!

The governing body STINKS in my opinion. They couldn't give a damn about any Club outside Super League.

We need all of the Championship Clubs to get together and form a 'CHAMPIONSHIP CLUBS ASSOCIATION' for the benefit of the game!