McGuire’s suspension highlights system’s defects, says Hetherington

The England scrum-half will now miss Friday’s qualifying semi-final at Wigan Warriors, severely hampering the champions’ hopes of reaching Old Trafford.

McGuire was suspended after being found guilty of a reckless high tackle in Leeds’s win against Catalan Dragons last Friday.

He will decide this morning whether to appeal but it seems unlikely given the rigid nature of the present system.

The match review panel currently grades any perceived foul before a player reaches the disciplinary committee.

Hetherington told the Yorkshire Post: “What’s changed nowadays with the disciplinary is that effectively that person is now the judge and jury. It’s so restrictive that going to the disciplinary itself is almost like going to an appeal.

“What we are now getting is players who genuinely have no malice in them regularly getting suspended.

“The other issue is that because it’s all so visual everyone can comment beforehand, like the Sky TV commentary team.

“If it was in a true court of law it’d be thrown out (for prejudice) but it isn’t and this is how it is.

“Brian (McDermott) tells me he (Danny) had a pretty fair hearing.

“It’s not come as a surprise but we’d certainly argue the challenge was careless rather than reckless.

“Reckless implies it was deliberate and it’s not; it’s just mistimed.

“There is contact to the head but this is rugby league – there’s always going to be that.”

The committee noted that he swung his arm into the tackle which could always backfire.

But head coach McDermott attempted to explain how smaller players, such as McGuire, are coached to do that to try to grip or dislodge the ball.

He argued that it is only because the opponent Louis Anderson dipped into the tackle that McGuire instead found his head.

Hetherington said: “Obviously, you want your best players available when you get to a semi-final so Danny will be a loss. But we’ve got a team full of determined characters and they’ll get on with it.”

McGuire has won five Grand Finals with his hometown club.

The only time Leeds have not lifted the title in the last five years was 2010 when they lost a semi--final at home to Friday’s opponents Wigan – and McGuire was absent with a serious knee injury.

Rhinos also badly missed the 29-year-old’s talent when he was injured for the Challenge Cup 
final against Warrington Wolves last month, the West Yorkshire club losing a third successive final.

Their hopes of retaining their Super League title are now severely dented with McDermott needing to find a way to cover for a pivotal player who has been in outstanding form this term.

McGuire, who was also fined £300, recently became Super League’s leading try-scorer, and notched his 201st touchdown in France.

Teenager Stevie Ward may now, as at Wembley, be given a shot.

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