St Helens forward Morgan Knowles has seen his Grand Final dreams shattered tonight as the RFL have upheld his two-game ban.
The England forward will miss the 2022 Super League Grand Final after receiving a two-match suspension following a tackle on Chris Atkin during Saints' semi-final victory over Salford Red Devils. Knowles was sin-binned after a tackle on Atkin, in which he pulled at the arm of the Salford player. He had subsequently been handed a Grade B dangerous contact charge before Saints' decision to appeal the charge that tonight, didn't pay off, meaning they will be without one of their key men for Saturday's showdown with Leeds Rhinos.
With Knowles having to serve a two-match ban after this week's final, his second game suspended will come in the form of England's warm-up match against Fiji on October 7th, if he is named in Shaun Wane's 24-man squad for the World Cup next week. This would see Knowles available for selection for England's opener against Samoa at St James Park in Newcastle.
The independent tribunal upheld the Match Review Panel's decision and also imposed a £500 fine towards the Saints ace. The current champions do have something to be thankful for, however, as star Jack Welsby escaped a ban after he was let off with a Grade A high tackle and is free to play at Old Trafford.
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