Barrow Raiders will be without the services of half-back Lewis Charnock for the next eight matches after he was banned by the RFL this week, but he still has the support of head coach Paul Crarey.

Charnock pleaded guilty to his Grade F charge of causing a serious injury in the act of tackling Sheffield Eagles' James Glover in the first minute of the Raiders' 30-18 defeat at the Summer Bash two weeks ago.

As a result, the 24-year-old won't be available until the away fixture at Swinton Lions on July 21 at the earliest, while he was also fined £250 by the RFL's disciplinary panel.

Charnock has since apologised to Glover, who will be out for between nine and 12 months due to serious damage to his knee, which will require reconstructive surgery next week.

Crarey said: "I think with the tackle and there being an injury, we expected a ban and we looked at it after the game, but there's no malice in Lewis.

"It's the first time in his professional career that he's had a ban. I don't know if that was taken into consideration, but the ruling is that it's a Grade F or whatever for an injury.

"Sometimes you just get a bloke running at a pivot and the thought process is to just tackle him in any shape or form because that's the nature of the game. He's copped an eight-match ban, which is on the limit of the Grade F, they haven't given him anymore and they've given him a £250 fine.

"He's just got to deal with that, but he's a very solid defensive player for us and sometimes people say 'oh, he doesn't create' and stuff, but he'll be a big miss for us because that kid can defend."

On the incident itself, Crarey added: "I think he just lost the tackle and Glover skipped round him and he got side on and when you get side on, you try to use your momentum.

"If he'd have got one foot on the floor he wouldn't have got the ban, but all the pressure went on the kid's knee and he's paid the price for that."