Omar Khan has challenged the RFL to investigate Craig Kopczak’s move to Huddersfield further after it was revealed he agreed to join the Giants a month before walking out on the Bulls.

Despite their Super League rivals agreeing not to poach any contracted Bradford players following the club’s slide into administration, Kopczak verbally agreed a deal with Huddersfield on August 8.

The revelations came to light after Kopczak was summoned to Leeds Crown Court this week to give evidence in the legal battle between Keith Mason and Huddersfield.

Mason was sacked for allowing an obscene image to be posted on his Twitter account but sued the Giants for wrongful dismissal, with his lawyers claiming that Huddersfield were keen to offload him to make room for Kopczak on their wage bill (see below).

The RFL investigated the circumstances behind Kopczak’s departure from his hometown club, and while no formal charges were filed, the Giants paid a £20,000 compensation fee to Bradford at the suggestion of the governing body.

Although the paperwork on the deal which saw Kopcak become a Huddersfield player was not completed until October 23, it is now clear he had agreed the deal with managing director Richard Thewlis over two months earlier.

Bulls owner Khan said: “We feel vindicated in our stance at the time that Kopczak had illegally spoken to Huddersfield well before we took over the club on September 1.

“Both Kopczak and Giants’ managing director Richard Thewlis have admitted under oath that they agreed a contract on August 8, despite Kopczak’s contract with the Bulls still having 16 months left to run.

“We are also concerned that in October of last year both Kopczak and Thewlis denied this to RFL investigator John Dearden, and indeed Kopczak stated that he was not at that time employed by anyone.

“We trust the RFL will now further investigate this matter, which has seen us deprived of a player who was under contract to us when illegally approached.”

The RFL were unavailable for comment last night.

 

MASON DISMISSAL RULED UNFAIR

Keith Mason - who was sacked after a photo of a team-mate's bottom appeared on his Twitter account - said he was delighted with a High Court judge's ruling that he was unlawfully dismissed by his former club.

Super League prop Mason will receive around £167,000 in damages from Huddersfield Giants, the High Court in Leeds ruled yesterday.

The picture was found on his iPhone by his girlfriend, Lauren Harwood, after the players returned from a drinking binge last September, known in rugby league circles as Mad Monday - the day when players celebrate the end of the season.

She posted on his Twitter account - which attracted 4,200 followers - with the message "what the hell is this?" and it remained for around two days before Mason deleted it, the court heard.

Huddersfield Giants claimed the 31-year-old committed gross misconduct by not deleting it quickly enough and ended his £95,000-a-year salary last October, just one year into his four-year contract.

The club said they became aware of the image of team-mate Scott Moore's bottom after complaints from supporters and sponsors.

They told Mason: "The Giants players are role models for those who support the club and new supporters", and said his actions were completely at odds with the family values it promotes.

Mason, who now plays for Castleford Tigers, challenged the decision but his appeal was turned down by his club.

Backed by his friend, boxing world champion Joe Calzaghe, who attended the court proceedings on Monday, Mason's lawyers argued he was "tainted by dismissal", which was unlawful, and his potential earnings had dropped by tens of thousands of pounds.

The player also said he thought the timing of his sacking was suspect, as several new prop-forwards had been signed over the summer.

He claimed he had been given the push to free up space in the salary cap for the new players - an accusation his former club flatly denied.

But the judge, His Honour Mr Justice Saffman, said there was "clear evidence" the Giants wanted Mason off their books, including emails outlining lucrative transfers to coax the prop away from his team.

He ruled that Mason's actions could not be construed as breach of contract, and as a result his dismissal was wrong.

Reflecting on the Twitter incident, he said Mason was seriously hungover following a Mad Monday "communal bender" but did eventually react when he realised the photo was online and deleted it.

It was clearly a personal account which Mason used outside the workplace, he said, adding: "The fact is that when the error of his ways was pointed out to him, he sought to correct it.

"When all is said and done, the claimant was employed as a rugby player.

"I'm not convinced that this tweet can be seen to be inextricably linked to the club.

"I think it's very unlikely that any fan seeing this tweet... would assume that this tweet is condoned by the club. I therefore have no difficulty in finding that the claimant has established, on balance, that this was a wrongful dismissal."

Speaking after the hearing, Mason said: "I was happy I can draw a line under it in my life and justice has been served."

Mr Justice Saffman said the sum of £167,000 reflected loss of Mason's actual and projected earnings.

He said the legal costs of £35,000 for the three-day hearing will also be passed on to the club.

Terms of the damage payment will be discussed at a further hearing, at a date yet to be set.