By JOHN DAVIDSON
THE RFL will not be backpedaling on the fine handed to Oulton Raidettes for forfeiting this weekend’s Women’s Championship play-off against Leigh Leopards ladies.
Oulton finished fourth on the ladder but claim they are unable to field a team in the play-off because of injuries and four of their players being unavailable, as they are taking part in England Rugby League’s Diploma in Sporting Excellent (DiSE) trip to France, hence the forfeit.
The Raidettes have been hit with a £500 fine, which will double to £1000 unless it is paid within a month, it is believed.
The RFL say they have sympathy with Oulton but will not be changing the punishment.
“While we sympathise with Oulton Raidettes given the circumstances that have led them to withdraw from this weekend’s Championship Play-Off, a fine for failing to fulfil a fixture is consistent with the sanctions that were introduced before the start of the 2024 season, and accepted by all clubs, as part of the driving up of standards in a competition which represents the second tier of the Women’s Rugby League pyramid,” an RFL spokesperson told rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads in a statement.
“It has been the most successful season yet in that regard, with all matches fulfilled until Castleford Tigers withdrew from a match in the last round – for which they have accepted a fine.
“The withdrawal of a club from the first round of the Play-Off series at such short notice has obvious impacts both on Leigh Leopards, who were due to play Oulton this weekend, and on the other teams who have qualified for the Play-Offs (or who missed out).
“We remain in dialogue with senior officials at Oulton.”
Yesterday Oulton posted this statement on their Facebook page: “Following the conclusion of our league fixtures on Sunday, it was confirmed we had finished 4th in the Women’s Championship.
“There is a top 4 play-off which resulted in us having a fixture this coming Sunday in a semi-final. Unfortunately, we have had to forfeit this fixture due to player availability.
“A mixture holiday, injuries and an RFL DiSE trip to France this weekend making 4 of our players unavailable to represent our club has left us with having 10 available players.
“This has resulted in us being fined £500 for failing to fulfil a fixture. It is a disappointing way to end the season but we would like to express a big thank you to all our players, coaches, manager, support staff, supporters and sponsors for your commitment this season.”
The DiSE is a national programme for Year 12 and 13 girls who have the potential to play at the highest level of the game and is part of the England Performance Pathway.
Leigh will now advance straight to the grand final of the Women’s Championship, and face the winner’s of the play-off between Sheffield and Salford.
