www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/news/586 ... RY%20PANEL Grade D

www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/news/586 ... RY%20PANEL Grade D

What does grade D mean?

Needs to calm down abit only just got off a ban

No, it's the worst case offence. 8-10 matches apparently.

Not sure where you've got that from but grade D is 3-5 matches.

Worse than Rangi Chase's offence was graded at.

Think someone needs to look at the gradings!

This is f*cking pathetic.

From looking at it it appeared he picked Hodgson up and than slammed him down again. Hodgson was more or less in a kind of sitting position, it seemed to hurt him, albeit very temporarily, but no harm was done and nobody ran in to remonstrate with Bateman which they would have done had it been a bad one.

If he gets a ban it's way OTT in my book. Maybe a warning to take more care but to be guilty of a grade D suggests he set out to cause real damage.

How it is graded as worse than Chase's "tackle" is beyond me.

Baffling really.

Looking at the grading structure they've classed Rangi's as 'reckless' and Bateman's as 'intentional' which is why Bateman has copped a higher grade. Although, personally I would have had chase as intentional striking with the elbow and down at E-F.

Yeah, they appear to have pinged him for 'Dangerous Throw - Throwing player into the ground' which carries a grade of D-E.

Wasn't really a throw though was it? In fact I'd say there wasn't much in it.

As Melbourne Storm CEO Chris Johns said once after a suspension given to Stephen Kearney "we might as well all start wearing skirts".

I made it up for comedy effect.

He seems to drop his whole body weight onto Hodgson's head/kneck. It could have seriously injured Hodgson, though I'm sure that wasn't the intention. IIRC he is not looking at Hodgson when he commits the act which would suggest not deliberate.

Jeff Lima:
"Incident considered Dangerous Contact on 41st minute (Moa)
Decision No charge
Details of Charge / Reason for NF Player places some weight on opponent’s neck/shoulder however then makes room for opponent’s head. Are significant contributions from attacking player and fellow defender in dynamics of tackle MRP - NFA"

All Bateman was trying to do was get the tackled player down on the floor. It loooked far worse than it was, and unless Bateman has a step in his chest, the only pressure on the neck/head will have been from the back rather than from the top.

Bateman was holding the player legitimately, he was trying to bring him to ground legitimately, it was just that due to the position the tackled player was putr in at that moment by Bateman, himself, and the other tackler he was lined up in a sort of sitting up configuartion. It was a silly thing to do, and he won't use that "technique again" but a telling off would be more than ample. As for Grade D? Absolutely ridiculous.

You see this type of tackle every week. Why pick one instance out? The only thing that needs to come out from this is greater clarity of what is and is not acceptable! Look at people trying to dislodge a ball with their feet as a try is being scored. It happens regularly but rarely is it penalised!

In over 30 years I am struggling to remember a tackle like that.