Barrow Raiders announced that one of their players has been handed a four-match ban following a red card.

On Wednesday February 28, a RFL tribunal decided to ban Luke Broadbent from taking to the pitch for the club’s next four fixtures.

As a result, the full back will not be able to take part in the upcoming matches scheduled against Wakefield Trinity, Widnes Vikings, Whitehaven or York RLFC Knights.

During Raider’s latest match against Oldham in the Betfred Challenge Cup, Broadbent was accused of throwing a punch at an opposition player.

Head Coach, Paul Crarey said the full back was given a red card for ‘allegedly’ throwing a punch at an Oldham player, before they were both sent off. He also said there was ‘no video evidence’ but that any head knocks are taken ‘very seriously’.

The Oldham player was handed a two-match ban which was later dismissed, while Broadbent was referred to a RFL tribunal which was put off for a week. Raider’s Number 14 was found guilty of an offence by the governing body for rugby league in England.

The young player signed a two-year contract with Barrow Raiders in August 2023.

Paul Crarey said Broadbent has ‘cemented’ his place on the team, so a four-match ban is a ‘big blow’ that will leave the team ‘thin on the ground’.

Raider’s head coach expressed his disappointment at the incident, saying it was ‘avoidable’ and it is difficult to bring players in on loan at such short notice.

Paul Crarey said that Broadbent denied punching the Oldham player but the whole club will have to deal with the consequences.

The head coach said he wants some ‘clarity’ on the fact that two were sent off, yet one player received a four-match ban while the other player saw his sentence dismissed, despite no video evidence.

The team has a match scheduled against Widnes Vikings as part of the Betfred Championship on March 17.

Speaking of the upcoming fixtures, Crarey said: “Widnes is two weeks away, time to rest and prepare.”

Without Broadbent, Raiders will be playing with a ‘stretched out’ back line. While they played with a small squad last year, it means there is no room for injury.

This weekend, on Saturday March 2, Barrow Raiders will face Wakefield Trinity in the 1895 Cup with kick off at 3pm.

Raider’s Head coach said: “Hopefully, we’ll make it through the rest of the week without any injuries.”