Tom Holroyd was suspended for two games after the Leeds Rhinos forward pleaded guilty to a downgraded charge at Tuesday evening’s disciplinary tribunal.
Holroyd was initially charged with a Grade E, which carries a minimun six-game suspension, dangerous contact offence from Leeds’ 38-24 Betfred Super League win over Castleford Tigers by the match review panel on Monday.
The severity of the grading saw him automatically referred to an independent Operational Rules tribunal, where Holroyd, accompanied by Rhinos sporting director Ian Blease and general manager Matt Cook, pleaded guilty to the offence.
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However, the 24-year-old successfully challenged the grading, which was reduced to a Grade D. That saw him incur a two-match suspension due to 12 points being added to his disciplinary record.
The incident occurred during the second half of Sunday’s match at AMT Stadium when Holyroyd trapped the arm of Castleford’s George Hill following a tackle.
He will miss Leeds’ trip to Catalans Dragons in Super League on Saturday and the Betfred Challenge Cup fourth-round clash with St Helens the following Friday.
Holyroyd was not the only player suspended from Sunday’s West Yorkshire derby, with Castleford’s Jeremiah Simbiken being suspended for two matches after being charged with two separate offences.
Simbiken was suspended for one match after being charged with Grade C dangerous contact, which saw five points added to the 2.5 for a Grade C offence he was charged with in pre-season. That subsequently took him over the six-point mark which automatically triggers a one-game ban.
Once that suspension has been served, his points tally will be reduced to five due to the points from the charge from Sunday being halved.
However, the second row then incurred another one-match suspension from a Grade B dangerous contact charge later in the game which added another three points and took him back over the one-game suspension threshold.
Simbiken is only likely to miss one first-team game though – this Friday’s visit of Salford Red Devils – due to a rule which allows reserve fixtures to count towards a suspension on a weekend where the senior side are not in action.
Castleford are not in Challenge Cup fourth-round action the following week after exiting to Betfred Championship side Bradford Bulls last month, but the Tigers reserves play Wakefield Trinity on March 15 which could count towards Simbiken’s ban.
Also suspended for Super League Round 4 is Salford’s Jayden Nikorima, who picked up a total of eight points following a Grade C head contact charge in the 42-0 defeat away to Hull KR.
Nikorima received five points on his disciplinary record for the initial charge following a tackle on Niall Evalds and a further three points due to the Hull KR full-back failing a HIA and being stood down for the Robins’ trip to St Helens on Friday.
