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Barrett avoids suspension

Image: Barrett: £300 fine

Wigan's Trent Barrett avoided suspension at an RFL disciplinary panel, but team-mate Richard Mathers was banned for three matches.

Wigan playmaker given £300 fine for dangerous tackle

Wigan Warriors stand-off Trent Barrett avoided suspension at a Rugby Football League disciplinary panel on Tuesday. Barrett was cited for a dangerous 'spear' tackle on Warrington Wolves' Paul Johnson during his side's 32-20 defeat at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Saturday. But the Australian had his offence downgraded from category C to B at the hearing. And although he was found guilty and fined £300, the panel opted not to impose a suspension, leaving him free to extend his 35-match run for the Warriors at Huddersfield on Sunday.

Mathers ban

However, Barrett's team-mate Richard Mathers was handed a three-match ban for a high tackle that knocked out Warrington's Australian Test centre Matt King in the same match. Full-back Mathers, who was sent off for the first time in his career for the tackle, was also fined £300 by the RFL panel. Warrington revealed on Tuesday that King - to whom Mathers has apologised - was still not well enough to take the obligatory cognitive head test to prove his fitness to resume training. Wolves coach Paul Cullen said: "He's not trained as yet this week and not taken a head test as yet, so he is still suffering the effects of the injury. "It's always wise on these occasions to leave the head test until all the symptoms have gone away. At the moment that's simply not the case. The medical team will leave it as long as needed."