If Ablett had caught Briers on the face I'm sure he would have done one of his dying swan acts rather than jump up and lose control as he did.

he did catch him in the face...not by much but the first contact was with his face.

Maybe Jon Wells should have used his super zoom to get the full 'catch him in the face first' effect.

he did do a dying swan act, watch it again briers face is a picture.

His dying swan act in the grand final was better, again caused by Ablett

Ablett didn't hit him in the face. He grabbed at him with an outstretched arm & scragged him like a rag doll.

if you watch earlier in the game, Ablett is targeting Briers and gets a couple of totally legitimate shots on him.

Briers didn't like it & reacted the way he did to being thrown around.

Spot on.

When watching the game you could see that Leeds did really well to put pressure on Briers and he seemed to be getting more and more frustrated by this and eventually lost it for a few seconds by punching Ablett when his back was turned.

No half-back likes to be put under pressure like that and Briers should of walked for the way he reacted.

Just out of interest has anyone seen Ryan Bailey ever square up to another forward? To my recollection he often only has a dig at the backs, the smaller the better.

Bring back the biff indeed.

All the talk about grade E offences is a bit OTT IMO.

Briers should get a 1 game ban and then we can move on. Unfortunately he can use his EGP (I've never agreed with this rule) and won't get banned. This is why the disciplinary is unfit for purpose.

Child's couldn't send Briers to the sin bin as I remember Cummings saying you couldn't send a player to the sin bin for foul play.

There's been far less given reds this year. It was a nasty cheap shot by briers when a players back is turned. The fact Abletts back was turned is why I think Briers was lucky not to walk.

Congratulations on bringing everyone's favourite pantomime villain into it. Bailey has squared up to plenty of forwards over the years, what I've never seen him do, that I can recall at any rate, is sucker punch someone.

There's a huge difference between going toe to toe and punching someone who has their back turned and is therefore unable to defend themselves - it's this that elevates Briers indiscretion to 3 match ban territory for me. Child should also effectively see a 3 match ban for making such a fundamental error, I pity any team that has to suffer him again this season.

Playoff game at Knowsley Road. Sat Fa'asavalu on his backside, then ran 20 yards sideways on his next carry just to go straight at a wound-up James Graham.

Still, inconvenient facts never did influence those so keen to label Bailey a coward. You wonder what it is that marks Bailey out from other well-known poophouses down the years who didn't get half as much stick - the likes of Paul Davidson, James Graham, Paul Sculthorpe, Danny Williams (ex London and Melbourne, not the Salford one) for example?

If you don't understand the difference between "intensity" and taking a cheap shot at someone's head while their back is half-turned, I fear rugby league isn't the sport for you.

I'd believe that if it wasn't on youtube

He runs 20 yards sideways alright...to avoid Graham

Saints v Leeds just the biff on YT, the guys a coward in RL terms.

No, cowards sit behind their keyboards calling players they could never hope to measure up to "cowards".

The guidelines for punching don't cover what Briers did. if any do it's punching, repeated, aggressive or violent C-D or E which is sustained, repeated violent & aggressive.

It wasn't reaction to an opponent, Ablett didn't provoke him.
It wasn't self defence.
It wasn't one on one because Ablett had his back turned & wasn't throwing any punches

It's covered by intentional striking with hand arm or shoulder & that carries a D-E grading.

If he doesn't miss at least 1 game the disciplinary will be in disrepute.