Monday marks the final Super League disciplinary verdict of the regular season and despite the RFL confirming a rule change for how penalty points work, some players are still at risk of bans.
It was confirmed before the start of the 2026 season that penalty points would ‘freeze’ for the play-offs in an attempt to ensure that the very best players are playing in the biggest games of the season.
That points freeze will come into place as of Monday’s Match Review Panel, meaning that any penalty points that a player picks up will be added to a clean record, as opposed to their previous points. For example, if a player has five penalty points on their current record and they pick up a Grade A charge worth one point from the round 27 games, they will not be banned and just one point will go onto their disciplinary record.
After the play-offs conclude, the frozen points from the regular season return to the player’s record, where they remain until 12 months after the offence, as is regular.
That could be vital for some players ahead of the play-offs but it might not be enough to help some avoid a ban.
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Super League disciplinary risks ahead of the play-offs
One of those who could be getting banned from play-off contention is Warrington Wolves youngster Charlie McKler after he was sent to the sin bin late on in the win over Toulouse for a shot that saw him fail to wrap as he made direct contact to the head.
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The footage of that tackle has been widely shared in both England and Australia, cited by many as a great hit, however, others have questioned if it should have been a red card and the Match Review Panel will certainly look at it.
One player who was red carded and will surely land a ban is Huddersfield’s Fenton Rogers after he led with the elbow when carrying into contact, making direct contact to the head of Castelford’s Tyler Dupree.
That will likely be ruled as dangerous contact and could warrant a multiple-game ban, though those games will be served in either pre-season or at the start of next year as the Giants are out of play-off contention.
As for those in play-off contention, an incident that saw Jayden Myers fail a HIA was placed on report, meaning that those Leigh players involved could be at risk of a charge. Joe Ofahengaue was among those involved.
Mason Lino also picked up a sin bin for a professional foul but thanks to the points freeze, he will avoid a ban as that charge won’t be sufficient to land him enough penalty points.
The York and Bradford game saw Scott Galeano sin binned for a tip tackle that could draw disciplinary action but again the Knights did not make the play-offs despite a strong showing in their first Super League season.
Woke up still thinking about that Charlie McKler tackle 🤯 pic.twitter.com/R3p1LZHJTS
— Warrington Wolves (@WarringtonRLFC) September 12, 2026
