St Helens' Morgan Knowles will not play in Grand Final after losing appeal against suspension
St Helens’ Morgan Knowles lost his appeal against a two-match suspension; the independent tribunal upheld the Match Review Panel's decision and imposed a £500 fine; reigning champions will face Leeds Rhinos at Old Trafford on Saturday, September 24 live on Sky Sports
Wednesday 21 September 2022 20:29, UK
St Helens' Morgan Knowles will not play in Saturday's Grand Final after the club lost an appeal against a two-match suspension he received following their semi-final against Salford.
The independent tribunal upheld the Match Review Panel's decision and also imposed a £500 fine.
Knowles was sin-binned during Saints' 19-12 semi-final win over Salford for twisting the arm of Chris Atkin, and his conduct was deemed to be Grade B Dangerous Contact with an opponent.
The charge being upheld is a blow for the reigning champions; outgoing coach Kristian Woolf had said in the post-match press conference that he did not expect any repercussions.
The first match of Knowles' suspension will be this weekend's Old Trafford showpiece against the Rhinos. St Helens will be returning to Old Trafford for the fourth year in a row on Saturday and their Grand Final contest against Leeds will be live on Sky Sports (6pm kick-off).
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In launching the appeal, there was the risk of having the ban increased, which could have impacted his availability for England's World Cup campaign.
However, the independent tribunal hearing decided to only impose the fine as well as upholding the original charge and penalty.
England play Fiji at Salford on October 7, which if he is named in the squad could be the second match of Knowles' ban. The national side begin their World Cup campaign against Samoa in Newcastle the following week.
