Knights coach March slams disciplinary process

9:28am Wednesday 25th June 2008

Comments (1)   Have your say »

PLAYER-BOSS Paul March slated York City Knights' latest disciplinary hearing as "a waste of time and money" after his brother's charge was thrown out while his own was referred for four more weeks.

Loose-forward David March got off his sick-bed to attend the hearing at Rugby Football League's Red Hall headquarters last night, where he was found not guilty of a dangerous throw in the game against Keighley.

Scrum-half Paul's charge of using abusive language to a fourth official on the same day will be investigated further, coach March having also pleaded not guilty. Both players were represented by Knights chairman Roger Dixon.

The player-boss will be free to play in Saturday's game at London Skolars but he was frustrated at having to miss training and reckoned the RFL should look into how they conducted disciplinary procedures.

He said: "My case has been referred for further investigation. They're saying there's a lack of evidence and they want to investigate it more.

"But why bring me to Red Hall to put a charge to me when they haven't got evidence?

"David's charge got laughed out. The committee looked at the video and wondered why this tackle had been referred.

"The people looking at the referrals have probably never played the game.

"That probably needs looking into by the RFL so they're not wasting people's time and money."

March remained certain he will be found not guilty.

He said: "They're saying they're going to talk to people in the vicinity of the dug-outs (where he made the alleged comments) - ie our players, physio, coaches and staff.

"I told them the match commissioner was stood there so why didn't he hear anything.

"I know I didn't say anything. It will get thrown out - but it would have been better if it had got thrown out last night."

David March had been determined to attend the hearing - despite the fact he had only been released from hospital 24 hours earlier after collapsing on the Huntington Stadium pitch at the end of Sunday's defeat to Barrow.

He explained: "I didn't want the RFL to think I'd be missing the Skolars game anyway through injury so they could take the easy option and give me a one-match ban. I wanted to be cleared. It wasn't a dangerous tackle and I wanted to put my point across."

March was still getting over the shock of what happened on Sunday, when he coughed up blood after the final hooter and fell to the pitch. There were fears a broken rib had punctured a lung, or that he was bleeding from his spleen.

He explained: "I took a blow to my ribs, but tests have shown there's no cracked ribs or split spleen. The impact meant I couldn't catch my breath. It happened while Paul was in the sin-bin. I told him when he came back on I might have done a rib but he said, You'll be okay,' like he does, and I carried on.

"It more or less went away, but at the end of the game I coughed up blood and couldn't catch my breath again.

"They said I might have had a panic attack, which made me fall to the floor. The first thing I wanted to do was get up but the breathing started getting worse so I was better off on the floor. The next thing I knew I was in the ambulance."

March was given morphine and oxygen at hospital and was kept in overnight. "They were happy my lungs were okay and that I was breathing on my own. I had a scan and everything was all right, and they sent me home with painkillers," he added.

"I don't know when I'll be back playing but the team are playing well. It's not as bad as it was first made out to be, which is a big relief."