'Embarrassing' send-off ripped as 'farce' rocks league

A send-off in the Super League has been slammed as "embarrassing" and a "farce" after former NRL utility Nu Brown was red-carded on Saturday (AEDT).

Brown was marched from the field late in the first half of Hull FC's clash with Warrington after he made incidental contact with a ball-carrier's head.

Brown left Warrington's Ben Currie with nasty damage to his face, but the contact was clearly an accident.

READ MORE: What steered Fitz from running stardom to surfing fame

READ MORE: Aussie Olympic breakdancer's message to critics

READ MORE: Snubbed star tipped to win four-way Raiders race

Referee Marcus Griffiths called time off because of Currie's bloodied face, but it didn't look like he would send Brown off.

However, the video referee stepped in.

Former Super League star Jackson Hastings unloaded on social media.

"The game's honestly dying if that's a red card," Hastings wrote on X.

"Feel for the players in Super League at the moment. It's becoming embarrassing some of these cards. Players union is 100 per cent necessary and ASAP."

Watch the World Club Challenge on Nine and 9Now from 7am AEDT Sunday February 25!

The former Salford and Wigan playmaker continued his rant in another post.

"The game in the UK has done so much right with the TV deal and product," Hastings wrote.

"But sending blokes off for making a regulation tackle is becoming a farce and ruining our great sport."https://twitter.com/JackoHastings/status/1761137689188090071https://twitter.com/9_Moley/status/1761170998077112326

Hastings' views are shared by thousands of appalled rugby league fans, as well as Warrington coach Sam Burgess, who chalked up his first win as a head coach.

The Rabbitohs legend said he felt "terrible coaching on the other side of that".

"In terms of player safety and welfare, it's the best state the game has ever been in. If you're a player in today's game, you're in the best hands.

"The worry with the game is, especially on this side of the world, we're being reactive to legal cases that are going on, rather than just accepting we're going to have to take it on.

"I don't think anyone is comfortable with [the decisions being made]. I don't think the people making the rules are comfortable with it.

"I feel for Nu Brown. That is really tough. It's not even head-on-head in a primary collision; it's a secondary collision.

"As a coach, I don't want to win a game like that. The players don't.

"I think at some point there's got to be some common sense put into it."

However, when Warrington's Paul Vaughan was asked what he thought, the former NRL prop defended the decision.

"I guess it's a little bit hard. The new rules that have come in this year — you just have to adjust to them the best you can. Obviously the rules in place are trying to keep the game safe," Vaughan said.

"You just can't make contact with the head — that's just the way it goes. After the first week there were a lot of suspensions, but trying to make the game as safe as possible and trying to look after the players' heads — that's the main concern. You just have to adjust to it. I agree with the rules. I think it's great."

Warrington defeated Hull FC 36-10.