I did not influence RFL over Brown –Leeds boss

Leeds Rhinos’ Gary Hetherington last night refused to be drawn into a war of words surrounding Nathan Brown’s Rugby Football League charge while agreeing the Huddersfield Giants chief being summoned three weeks after scathing post-match comments was “strange”.

Brown has become the second Super League coach this season – Hull FC’s Richard Agar was the other – to be charged with breaking their rules following his criticism of referee Ben Thaler, leaving Huddersfield managing director Richard Thewlis furious about the governing body’s tardy action.

The Australian coach’s tirade followed his side’s 38-6 win against Leeds at Headingley Carnegie back on April 15.

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Thewlis claims the decision to charge Brown only arose after Leeds chief executive Hetherington publicly expressed his surprise the RFL had not initially done so.

Brown had said he would encourage his players to take the law into their own hands if match officials fail to protect the game’s playmakers.

It came after Kevin Brown was tackled late during a feisty encounter, prompting a mass brawl which saw Leeds prop Ryan Bailey and Huddersfield’s Luke O’Donnell both red-carded.

“Having read Mr Hetherington’s comments, lo and behold three days later our coach is charged with minor misconduct regarding his comments which I view as, shall we say, a strange coincidence,” said Thewlis.

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He cites the RFL judiciary having made and published more than 80 decisions since the game during which time three further Super League rounds have been contested.

Thewlis insists he will be writing to the RFL chairman Richard Lewis to air his concerns about the “farce” while Brown has 14 days from last Thursday to either accept the charge of breaching their Respect Policy and operational rules or contest it.

Hetherington refutes any suggestion that he contacted the RFL to influence their decision.

“The only person I have spoken to was a journalist who rang me for my opinion and I felt strongly enough to make those comments then,” he told the Yorkshire Post.

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“I’m not going to say I’m pleased or disappointed that they have acted now but I certainly thought at the time what I said was right.

“I think it is strange for the RFL to go back three weeks but that’s for them to decide.

“I’m not familiar with whether there’s a published timescale – I thought there would be – but I’m not sure what the process is.

“So, it is a fair question on Richard’s part why it should take three weeks for them to charge him (Brown).”

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An RFL spokesman said the delay was the result of the heavy Easter programme of matches and time taken in processing the previous action against Agar.

Last week he was fined a record £6,000 – half of it suspended until the end of the season – by an RFL operational rules tribunal for his criticism of referee James Child.

Meanwhile, Hetherington has poured cold water on reports that hooker Danny Buderus could be returning to the NRL next season.

The Sydney Morning Herald says the ex-Australia captain is “95 per cent certain” to be rejoining Newcastle Knights despite being contracted at Headingley until the end of 2012.

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Legendary coach Wayne Bennett – who once appointed Buderus as his Kangaroos captain – will join Newcastle next season and the club have recently been taken over by a multi-millionaire.

Icon Buderus, 33, played with the Knights for 11 seasons, helping them to the 2001 title, and there was also speculation he would head home last season just over a year after moving to Yorkshire.

Now there is fresh talk of an emotional ‘swansong’ with his beloved Newcastle but Hetherington insisted: “There’s nothing in it at all – it’s just speculation.

“Danny Buderus would be the first to tell us. I saw him this morning and there’s not been any approach to Danny or to us.

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“I don’t think there’s any question that he will be at Leeds next season.”

The veteran hooker was outstanding as Rhinos overcame a string of injuries to defeat Crusaders in Saturday’s Carnegie Challenge Cup game.

One of those sidelined was Danny McGuire who limped off with a quad muscle problem – just three games into his comeback after missing eight months with a knee injury.

The stand-off still joined up with the England Elite Training Squad at Loughborough University yesterday ahead of a two-day camp.

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He underwent a scan and Leeds hope to receive some good news later today.

“They are expecting some sort of tear,” Hetherington said.

“A strain is the best-case scenario so we’ll have to see but it’s a real shame for Danny as he’s looked terrific since coming back.”

McGuire is set to miss up to six weeks if the quad is torn but there was better news surrounding second-row Chris Clarkson whose fears of a broken ankle were allayed when it emerged he had only suffered serious bruising.

Leeds’s Challenge Cup fifth round game with Harlequins will be played at Headingley on Friday, May 20 (8pm kick-off).

Warrington and England forward Ben Harrison has also been cleared of a broken ankle but misses Friday’s game with Castleford due to ligament damage.