Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin, alongside colleague Jon Wells, has slammed the decision to send St Helens winger Tommy Makinson off in their win at Castleford Tigers on Friday night.
The veteran winger had missed his side’s defeat at Hull KR the week prior with a case of chicken pox, but his return lasted just 13 minutes.
He was dismissed in the early stages at The Jungle for a late hit on Castleford ace Tex Hoy in the build-up to what ended up with a try-saver from team-mate Konrad Hurrell.
A video referee review initially took place on that no try, but the footage was rewound, with Makinson’s late hit deemed to have no mitigating factors around it.
Alongside a good few others after the action we’ve already seen this weekend, Makinson now nervously awaits the Match Review Panel’s verdict on his alleged offence, with a suspension potentially on the cards.
Jon Wilkin slams Tommy Makinson red card decision: ‘We’re on dangerous ground’
In the end, with Cas also having a man sent off in the second half in the shape of Liam Horne after a tip tackle, Makinson’s sending off didn’t cost Saints, who ran in 10 tries to pick up a more than comfortable win 60-4 win.
But criticism has been rife on social media on the Makinson red card decision, and Wilkin & Wells were in agreement with the vast majority in that it was an error on the officials’ part.
The duo delivered their verdict live on Sky in the build-up to a clash between Catalans Dragons & Leeds Rhinos on Saturday evening having already seen Wigan Warriors thrash Huddersfield Giants 48-6 at the John Smith’s Stadium earlier in the day.
Wigan saw prop Liam Byrne sent to the sin-bin after the very first tackle of that clash within the first few seconds for a high hit on Matty English.
On Makinson’s dismissal, Wilkin said: “It’s just not a red card, is it!? It’s a yellow card, it’s just a yellow card.
“Liam Byrne should have got a red today if that’s where we’re going with it. There’s a head clash between two players that leaves Tyler Dupree bleeding… then that should be a red card.
“We’re on dangerous ground, that should just be a yellow card. Tex Hoy falls, Tommy Makinson maybe or maybe doesn’t touch him, we’ve watched it 10 times and I just think it’s too big a thing to make that red.”
And fellow pundit Wells affirmed: “I would agree. I would think a yellow card.
“You’ve got the attacking players losing height and for me, it was indirect contact with the head, that was my take on it. Chest first into head, yellow card would have been sufficient.”