He had a chip on his shoulder the whole game. Just got shot down on the Hull board for suggesting it was a deliberate high shot on Hardaker - I know its very difficult for the disciplinary board to judge on intent but Connor lined him up last Friday - I don't have much doubt about it.

It certainly looked deliberate from Connor. I don't think he was trying to cause any real damage with it, but it just looked like a continuation of the niggle that had been going on. He thought he's put a bit of a shot on him. It wasn't as if it was an attempted tackle that was a desperate grab or bounced up off the ball. He just gave him a smack round the chops. Can't argue with a 1 match ban for that.

His ban is a bit of a gift but possibly not that significant. He's a talented player but I feel like our troubles with Hull are bound to be in the pack. If it's wet weather rugby then the risk will be that their pack gets on top and, much like the cup game against Leeds last season, our pack gets penned into our own half and is unable to fight its way out. I think a lot may rest on whether Scott Taylor and Manu Ma'u are able to return.

As for Tony Clubb, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I think Justin Carney once got an 8 match ban for a similar offence, but it feels like in the current climate many people wouldn't see that as sufficient. If anyone where I work was found to be using racist language while representing the company they'd be sacked. I assume that's the same for most people? I don't see any reason why RL would be different.

Seems too much of a coincidence for him not to have had a bit of intent. Maybe he just wanted to hit him hard and fair but he didn’t and was generally having ‘one of his nights’ all game.

I still think he may get it downgraded but we’ll see. It’s a shame for the fixture if he is banned.

Brad Fash also picked up a 1 game ban for Hull.

Not if you believe some of the posters, some casual racism, maybe a bit of sexism and homophobia thrown in just another days banter at work

It was a pretty bad tackle and I have no complaints about the yellow card or the ban, but I don't think it's fair to assume that he was so riled up by Hardakers comments that he just couldn't wait to to hit him in the head. He's a little s*** on the field sometimes, but off it he is by all accounts a really nice guy. Very down to earth and humble. I think he's just very competitive and hates losing and doesn't always channel that in the right ways.

Anyway, if Wynne comes in for Connor and Reynolds comes in for McNamara I still say that's an upgrade overall for our spine. Wynne is raw but he's also very quick and a real handful, whereas McNamara looked a rabbit in the headlights at times last week when you put him under pressure. Reynolds won't get flustered like that.

The game will be won and lost in the forwards though, and we have 4 props unavailable which could be telling. We could really do with Manu Ma'u being declared fit. If he is I reckon he might play in the front row. Satae, Sao, Ma'u and Brown is still a really decent prop rotation.

It wasn’t just the high tackle though, there were other incidents of verbals directed at Hardaker by Connor and from pretty early in the game. I love the lad as a player, he’s supremely talented and I loved being at games watching him play brilliantly against the Kiwis a couple of years ago but he still seems to have not quite hit the right balance when it comes to winding up the opposition but undoing your good work by losing your own discipline. Teams look to get so riled up playing against him that there are easy wins for him if he keeps his own head down and keeps his discipline but the Hardaker tackle and then the slap out at Hastings just let’s him down and let’s Hull down.

I think it’ll be a cracking game at the weekend regardless. That game last week has set it up nicely and it’ll be very intense early doors.

Connor definitely went looking for Hardaker. Not sure why everyone keeps bigging up this battle for the #1 shirt. Wane has already said it will be Sam.

A lot of people seem to be reverting to this response on the forum

The response of "If he said it, we should sack him" I think this is incredibly short sighted. The cancel culture is far too quick to get out the spinning stick.

I think most worrying is that he DID say it and there a good chance he DOESN’T think what he said was racist but I hope Wigan help him OWN that and invest in their players by HELPING to re-educate him and get through what will be a tough time for him and his family

Quit trying to ruin everybody by their mistakes it is how suicides happen and it is pathetic

There should be many factors considered when it comes to a decision to sack Clubb or not. If the club don’t have issues with his previous conduct, they don’t have concerns with his conduct going forward, he’s shown remorse and a willingness to be educated on the subject, then there is no way in my mind that he should be sacked. If they’re convinced this is a one off mistake then good people do make errors of judgment and they should stand by him. The club should help support him and the rest of the players by giving them guidance and education on the subject.

That is all assuming we take away the fact that some would be happy to see him sacked because he’s performing dreadfully on the field. That shouldn’t come in to the thinking at all but it will with some and had this been Bateman, Hastings, Smithies etc the opinions would be different.

Fully agree.

I’ll hold my hands up and see in the immediate aftermath I was all for having him gone based what happened but also on performances. It’s hard not to jump to that really; cap space opens up for a decent metre making prop and we get rid of an immensely under performing prop

For me it all depends on his reaction to it if he did say it. If he said it out of ignorance and is willing to apologise and be educated then I would keep him and have him attend an equality and diversity course. If he said it and stands by it, or doesn't want to apologise/do some equality and diversity training then I would part ways.

I wouldn't just use it as a convenient way to get a poor performer off the cap because we run the risk of having to do the same thing if there is a similar incident in future with one of our best players, which I don't think the club would based on how they have dealt with other players getting themselves into trouble (albeit not regarding racial issues).

Cleary if he’s said it and is just sitting there going ‘I don’t see an issue and won’t apologise’ then he’ll be gone. We can all have our say on how offensive we find the comment and if it’s racist, xenophobic or whatever but the vast majority will agree it isn’t right however you want to label it and there is surely some regret on Clubbs part. He seems a very popular member of our squad and I generally think our squad seems full of good people. Good people don’t like idiots and that gives me confidence Clubb isn’t one and has simply made an isolated error. You only need to look at the level of debate that has gone in to this thread to understand that people would be capable of making comments they may not believe are inappropriate and whilst you can punish people, you shouldn’t automatically throw them to the Wolves.

8 matches

The press release from the RFL is a joke
No wonder the sport is not taken seriously.