Leeds Rhinos will be without Blake Austin for Saturday's Super League opener against Warrington Wolves after deciding against appealing his one-match ban - but the Rhinos are understood to have aired their frustrations to the Rugby Football League over the process surrounding the timing of the process which led to Austin being suspended.
The RFL announced on Monday that Austin had received a one-match ban for a dangerous tackle during Leeds' pre-season game with Hull FC eight days earlier.
Suspensions relating to cases from the previous weekend's fixtures are usually handed out no later than the following Tuesday, which changes to Thursday in pre-season, and the Rhinos are understood to have aired their frustration to the RFL over why it took over a week to ban Austin. They were told a 'backlog of cases' had contributed to the delay.
The club were stunned to learn on Wednesday there was still a chance of Austin being charged - and were then subsequently told his case would not be heard until the following Monday due to a reported backlog
The Rhinos decided not to contest the charge due to the nature of the tackle in question and have no issue with the suspension itself, but they are believed to have told the RFL in no uncertain terms how the failure to communicate with clubs is far from satisfactory ahead of a big game for the sport, as well as the Rhinos, on Saturday.
Leeds granted broadcaster Channel 4 permission to interview Austin last week for a package to promote Saturday's eagerly-anticipated game between the Rhinos and Warrington, the first time Super League has been on terrestrial television. That will now air with the player in question suspended after Leeds had assumed Austin was free to play when it got to Tuesday and they had not been informed of a charge.
They told Channel 4 Austin was available as they were expecting to be informed earlier in the week, as has usually been the case, whether or not he would face a charge.
The usual judiciary process will return for the opening round of Super League this weekend, with any charges raised on Monday before suspensions are handed out on Tuesday.
