I don't expect any reduction in the points penalty at all. Why would the RFL go to the trouble of appointing an independent panel if not to vindicate their initial decision? It draws a neat line under the whole episode.

I think the whole thing will be thrown out, due to not following procedure correctly.

Then the rfl will look at the reasons given, and use the excuse of mark green owning a new company, to apply a new set of sanctions to the new company which will be watertight the second time around.

New set of sanctions being almost identical to the old ones? Perhaps with a 4pt penalty as a headline?

I'm not getting my hopes up.

Ross has just tweeted that the hearing will not take place until the end of May

What a crock. It needs to be done early! ASAP. Does nobody at the RFL understand the need for clarity in this matter? The integrity of the competition is at stake. If the RFL don't have the resources to run an appeal in a reasonable timescale then they need to cut their cloth accordingly....

Bloody typical. You hire some lawyers to do something and they sit on their Harrises and do nowt until the deadline then ask for an extension.

What, just ahead of the Wakefield game you mean?

Heh, funny that.

I think they are doing what they did when they found out Kopout and Huddersfield were lying. Keep quiet, and just hope it all goes away!

At this rate the season will have finished before a decision is made. How long after the hearing will we have to wait for a decision?

And yet they certainly managed to apply the points deduction sharpish originally.

Without knowing how much was withheld from Creditors, when the club went into administration for the original 6 points to be deducted, and without knowing how much has been paid back to creditors from the new management, how can anyone make any reasonable guess at the final outcome?

Would be far simpler to have fixed rules. Admin resulting in an automatic penalty, reduced percentage wise on any buy outof the club and any resulting percentage debt repaid.

There would be no need to have any decision or appeal.

Why May? What are we waiting for?

Someone else to go into administration so we can all forget about it?

But they didn't, and that's just one of the obvious inconsistencies.

I hesitate to add any facts for your information any more, as it seems to annoy people, yet posting incorrect "facts" (not aimed at you btw) weirdly does not seem to have the same effect.

But many on here and the VT will tell you that the club - meaning OKB - were docked 6 points pretty much automatically "for going into administration". They reckon it's the deal. Go into admin, that's like your fixed penalty.

if that is true, then why didn't it happen?

OK Bulls went into administration on 31 January 2014. No sanction was applied to it. Not then, not ever.

It was on February 25th, 5 days after BB2014 had been announced as the winners of the auction, that the 6 point penalty was announced and implemented. And it is certain, however many times the misinformants want to claim this is some sort of fixed penalty, that it is no such thing, but that it was arrived at only after taking into account the proposals and plans of BB2014 i.e. NOT as a quid pro quo "for OKB going into admin"the club’s directors were unable to provide any evidence of new capital investment into Bradford Bulls and consequently, the RFL Executive had no confidence in the business plan that was presented. '"

Interesting points FA. I don't have the legal knowledge to state with certainty that you are correct, but I certainly follow your logic.

That got me thinking, unfortunately I do not have a link but I am certain at a significant point in the process, during the RFL/Mark Moore war of words after BB2014 withdrew there was a statement from the RFL (I believe by Blake Solly but not 100% certain). That statement was in advance of the most recent bid process and stated that debt would be addressed through the administration.

If my recollection is correct, does that mean that the RFL had approved that course of action with the Administrator. If it did then was that decision effectively taken jointly by RFL Administrator? If that was the case are BBNL being punished for an RFL decision? Or am I missing something?