BRADFORD Bulls have successfully appealed against the formal warning they received from the RFL following the stormy opening-day defeat at Leigh.

The Championship encounter at the Leigh Sports Village on February 15 led to Centurions rugby director Derek Beaumont being fined £2,000 after an investigation into events surrounding the game.

Beaumont’s behaviour was deemed to be prejudicial to the interests of the game and he was found to have breached RFL Operational Rules D1:1(b) and/or C2.3(e) and the RFL’s Respect Policy.

£1,000 of Beaumont’s fine was suspended until the end of the 2015 season and he was also warned as to his future conduct.

The Bulls received a formal warning as to their future behaviour after members of the club were deemed to have acted in a manner which is prejudicial to the interests of the game at the same fixture.

Bradford were also found to have breached RFL Operational Rules D1:1(b) and/or C2.3(e) and the RFL’s Respect Policy.

The sanctions were imposed following a thorough investigation conducted by an independent investigator on behalf of the RFL but the Bulls chose to appeal the warning, despite not being fined.

The independent tribunal has now ruled in their favour, effectively clearing the club of any wrongdoing amid the off-field shenanigans which occurred on the day.

The match saw referee Joe Cobb issue six yellow cards and a clash in the tunnel area is also believed to have occurred shortly after the game ended.

A Bulls spokesperson said: “The club was always confident that the Independent Appeals Panel would arrive at an amicable decision.

“We would like to thank everyone involved in the process.”

Meanwhile, the Bulls have also successfully appealed against the £2,000 fine they had imposed on them for momentarily fielding 14 players during the Easter Monday win at Dewsbury.

The Bulls had 14 men on the field for 11 seconds after making an interchange but, following the appeal, the punishment has been halved to £1,000 on the basis that the appeals tribunal felt that amount was more appropriate for a Championship club.

* Leigh forward Gareth Hock has been ruled out for the next month due to a torn cartilage that will require surgery but should be back in time to feature against the Bulls on September 20.