RED-FACED Rugby Football League officials are hoping the dust will now settle on the controversial finish to the Millennium Magic weekend after an extraordinary two days of blood-letting.
The fall-out from the refereeing row continued yesterday when a second official owned up to his part in the fiasco and was dropped for this weekend's Challenge Cup ties.
Match referee Steve Ganson had taken the unprecedented step of issuing a public apology for wrongly awarding the last-minute try which enabled Leeds to snatch a 42-38 win over Bradford in Cardiff.
As a result, Ganson has been left off the list for this weekend's fifth-round cup ties, along with Ashley Klein, who confessed he made the call to award Leeds the all-important penalty from which the controversial last play ensued.
Ganson was ready to allow play to continue when Bradford second-rower Matt Cook re-gathered possession from the boot of Gareth Ellis (Leeds) until Klein, in his role of video referee, called through his microphone to Ganson to award a penalty for offside.
The episode has caused great embarrassment to the RFL, with two of their six new full-time referees on the carpet, but is likely to finally appease Bradford, who were only partially satisfied by Ganson's apology and had called on the league to explain Klein's role in the incident-packed finish.
The RFL also told Bradford coach Steve McNamara he would not be facing any action for his post-match comments.
But not so fortunate was hooker Terry Newton, who will faces the RFL's disciplinary committee today after being charged with striking.
He was put on report by Ganson in the 12th minute of Sunday's game for an alleged high tackle on Leeds front rower Jamie Thackray and the RFL's video review panel decided he has a case to answer.
Newton served a two-match ban earlier this season after being found guilty of striking St Helens forward Jon Wilkin and a ban of any kind would rule him out of Sunday's Challenge Cup clash at Wakefield.
