BULLS may have been the ones left battered and bruised after last Friday's humiliating defeat to Newcastle, but the North-East side have been left counting the cost too.

Despite winning 53-10 in that Championship encounter, forward Alex Foster was sin-binned early on for Newcastle.

And he is now facing a ban of at least eight matches, after being charged with physically assaulting a referee.

That sin-binning occurred after he came into contact with referee Michael Smaill and Foster was yesterday charged with a Grade F offence by the Rugby Football League's match review panel.

Grade F is the most serious sanction available to the panel and usually carries a ban of eight-plus matches.

The panel referred former Castleford and London Broncos man Foster to a disciplinary hearing, where he awaits his fate.