BARROW Raiders have been relegated : Fri Oct 07, 2011 5:54 am  

North West Evening Mail
Raiders relegated - Johnston banned from RL for eight years
Last updated at 23:50, Thursday, 06 October 2011


BARROW Raiders have been relegated from the Championship and chairman Des Johnston banned from any involvement in rugby league for eight years by an RFL tribunal in Leeds.



The operational rules tribunal met behind closed doors to discuss salary cap breaches and illegal player payments at Craven Park between 2007 and 2011.

The club confirmed in a brief statement issued just before midnight that they had been deducted 29 points - their entire total from the 2011 season, meaning immediate demotion to Championship One.

Johnston, who testified before the tribunal, was in addition banned from any involvement in rugby league for eight years,

The statement said: “Barrow Raiders were deducted 29 (twenty nine) points and Mr Des Johnston banned from involvement with the game of rugby league for a period of 8 (eight) years at an Operational Rules Tribunal held on Thursday 6th October, 2011.

“Both the club and Mr. Johnston have taken further legal advice and been advised to make no comment until such time as the written adjudication giving the reasons for the tariffs imposed has been received and considered.”

A statement from the RFL on the judgement is expected on Friday morning.

Re: BARROW Raiders have been relegated : Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:23 am  

No wonder Despot was beside himself when we beat them in the P;ay-Offs last year. Needed then money badly.

Ive been saying for years that theres no way that team fitted under the salary cap. Its the fans i now feel sorry for.

Re: BARROW Raiders have been relegated : Fri Oct 07, 2011 8:52 am  

Good, it needed to happen, although it makes a mockery out of the league again, bad press and no one actually got relegated for finishing in the relegation zone.

Re: BARROW Raiders have been relegated : Fri Oct 07, 2011 8:56 am  

Thats the problem when owned by one person and it's so easy for them to walkaway,take there money out etc,It's the fans that get left having to pick up the pieces,Really sad,A chairman who pumped up the hopes off fans then dashed them as quick,Hope Barrow recover and soldier on,Helped us out on the vote etc,Wish them all the best.

Re: BARROW Raiders have been relegated : Fri Oct 07, 2011 12:18 pm  

Very sad but the best thing that can come out of it is that other clubs will think twice about cheating the salary cap.

Re: BARROW Raiders have been relegated : Fri Oct 07, 2011 3:32 pm  

On the plus side, Dewsbury is a damn sight closer than Barrow.

Re: BARROW Raiders have been relegated : Fri Oct 07, 2011 3:38 pm  

E.S.O wrote:

On the plus side, Dewsbury is a damn sight closer than Barrow.

That's one the reasons why Rugby League hasn't expanded as it should. People too lazy to travel a few miles.

I like long trips.

Re: BARROW Raiders have been relegated : Fri Oct 07, 2011 3:48 pm  

Depends how expensive they are

Re: BARROW Raiders have been relegated : Fri Oct 07, 2011 3:50 pm  

Not a problem for ESO, brummie.

And worth pointing out that we'll only have two games outside Yorkshire next season, both at Leigh - if we play each other once (which admittedly is a big if). Not exactly globe-trotting, is it ?

Re: BARROW Raiders have been relegated : Fri Oct 07, 2011 5:05 pm  

Good, I like long journeys as long as it's somewhere I haven't been before. That's the annoying thing about rugby, I feel like I've been to every ground about a million times, always somewhere new to go with football. I can't wait for my first ever trip to Adams Park in Wycombe at the end of the month, not because I think it will be a spectacular ground in an exciting town, simply because it's a part of the Earth I've never visited.

I'd love to get South Wales Scorpions in one of the cups. Only ground outside SL that needs ticking off.