Hull KR’s recent struggles against Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors have resulted in elimination from the Challenge Cup in the second game. If one of their star players is banned, things could get worse.
Hull KR lost to Warrington last week, which meant they lost the chance to top the Super League table. Their hopes of playing at Wembley were dashed on Saturday.
It’s also because of the way the two losses went; Hull KR’s offensive potential was restricted by two formidable defences in addition to a tonne of mistakes made by them; the right edge has now been exposed far too frequently and at too short notice.
Due to disciplinary issues, however, there may be a shakeup on the right side. A lot of fans have suggested online that referee Chris Kendall should have given centre Peta Hiku a red card. The Hull KR Head of the Academy has since acknowledged that as well.
Should Hull KR have gone down to twelve men?
Hull KR’s hopes of making it to Wembley for a second straight game were fading as the game was already over, and centre Peta Hiku appeared to let his frustrations get the better of him when he completed a tackle on Wigan full-back Jai Field.
The incident is captured on camera at the bottom of the article. Hiku tackled Field to make sure the elusive player stayed on the ground, but he used his left shoulder heavily in a swinging motion to strike the Australian’s head.
Although Hull KR’s Head of the Academy, Jason Netherton, and supporters on social media did not witness the incident, referee Chris Kendall, who was ten metres away, did.
Following false allegations that Hiku had ‘flopped on’ Field, Hiku was in his right to do so because Field wasn’t tackled and didn’t have a Hull KR defender positioned against him. A flop is only significant when a tackler adds weight as the second man in. What started the controversy was the way he used his shoulder.
Netherton claimed that the RFL had changed its mind about the issues after being keen to bring them up in the preseason. He also used social media to discuss other missed calls for flops and markers that weren’t square.
He wrote on X, saying, “I recall attending an RFL meeting at the beginning of the season and hearing them talk about clamping down on markers that weren’t square and also flopping on a tackle. Every season, they choose a topic, talk about putting a stop to it, and then turn around.
Rival fans swiftly noticed Netherton’s post and pointed him towards Hiku’s incident, with many falsely declaring that it was a failure. Up until then, the former player for Hull KR had plenty to say.
“No, that wasn’t a flop because there was no other defender on him,” he said in response to one. However, that’s still horrifying.
However, Netherton would adamantly state his position on the subject in response to someone else who had accused him of “missing it” because of his club allegiances, and it might come back to haunt Hiku when the Match Review Panel convenes today.
Netherton explained, saying, “It wasn’t a flop or anything to do with markers, so I didn’t miss it and I didn’t need to say anything about it.”
It should have resulted in a red card because it made direct contact with the head. He’s not’my’ player, it’s easy to say that.
Even though Peta Hiku isn’t a Netherton player, he still represents the Hull KR team, and if the Match Review Panel or Operational Rules Tribunal decides to investigate the incident, coaching staff members pointing out that star players should have received red cards probably won’t help the cause.
The Match Review Panel will undoubtedly talk about the two other centres from that game, Tom Opacic and Adam Keighran, as well as a few players from the other Challenge Cup semi-final on Sunday.
