"DISCIPLINARY: Due to illness of the independent judge sitting on the disciplinary panel, tonight's hearings will now be heard on Wednesday."



What constitutes an independent judge? More to the point, who are the non-independent judges? Kouka££ and Flanagan? Barring that last bit, this is a genuine request for info.

Think its mainly former players

media.therfl.co.uk/docs/DISCIPLI ... 20Copy.pdf

media.therfl.co.uk/docs/DISCIPLI ... 20Copy.pdf

Thanks for the link, Glow. If one of the recurring names is NEIL Turley then, without intending to cast any doubt at all over his integrity, I realise that (certainly in the case of Leigh players being hauled before the beak) he couldn't possiblybe viewed as independent. I am still very much in the dark as to the criteria that define the independent judge though. Perhaps Reffy can help?

A panel member (ex player) is independent if he hasn't or hadn't any connection with the club the 'offender' plays for. I doubt Turley would be deliberating on Acton's case, not because he wouldn't do an honest job but to remove any calls of favouritism from opposition fans.

Thanks Reffy. That much understood and agreed with. The problem I have is that the release said THE independent. Presumably that would be the Chair? What qualifies THE independent judge.



The usually jocular Bongser is genuinely enquiring. I think that there would be a lot less controversy were we all suitably enlightened.

I am not sure that is correct. The judges for the week are picked well in advance and they obviously will not know which teams players are going to be cited until a day or 2 before.



Also, somebody like Danny Sculthorpe played at Leeds, Wigan, Warrington, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Castleford. That is half the teams currently in Super League so he would be bound to be judging at least one of his ex teams more often that not.



Tonight's panel includes Stuart Fielden and Danny Sculthorpe both ex Wigan. They are not judging on Wigan players tonight but they ARE helping hand down sentences to 2 Saints players who have a big derby match against Wigan in 2 days time...



I don't think they will be biased but at the same time calling them 'independent' is a stretch with 200+ Wigan appearances between them.

The third member and Chairman of the Tribunal is a Judge.

They can only make it as independent as is practically possible, former players at least have an understanding of the game. We simply have to trust their integrity, and having a 3 man panel should ensure any biased is weeded out.

Full ermine clad Judge fresh from naps in the House of Lords and sporting a wig dodgier than Eddie's?

In name only, without the paraphernalia.

Reffy tells me that the Judge is one in name only but Glow's question does put me in mind of another question on QI back in the day: "Why does the House of Lords smell vaguely of urine?" The answer proffered was that the good people of the upper chamber have a propensity to wear tweed a lot and that the colour in tweed is set using urine. That puts the wee in tweed.



Still unclear, Reffy, on what constitutes the independence of the Judge and Chair. I am not being deliberately obtuse.