MLR Notes – Blair Cowan suspended, Retirement call for trio

The San Diego Legion will have to finish the season without their captain. Blair Cowan has been handed a four-week suspension after being second off in the second half against the Seawolves in the final round of the regular season. He will play no part in the Western Conference Final against Seattle or the Championship Final should the Legion be successful.

Cowan received his walking orders after a head-high tackle on Seattle winger Jeremiah Sio. It was deemed a mid-range offense and while mitigation reduced the sanction, the timing made it impossible for him to take part in the postseason. The Legion are well covered at flanker with Christian Poidevin, Dan Pryor, and Michael Smith all high quality options while Marcel Brache is expected to assume the captaincy.

Meanwhile three players have been suspended following the brawl during Chicago’s win over the Jackals in Arlington. Conrado Roura and Maclean Jones each received three-week bans after being sent off, and Alejandro Torres received the same punishment after being cited.

The red cards handed out to Lindsey Stevens, Cam Dodson, and Adriaan Booysen were dismissed. Booysen was a case of mistaken identity but Dodson has surprisingly escaped further punishment after his entanglement with Sam Golla initiated the skirmish.

None of the suspensions will carry over to next season.

Alex Maughan was also suspended for one week following the accumulation of three yellow cards. As with the other offenses, it will hold little weight given the season is already concluded.

ATL however have said goodbye to Kurt Coleman, who has opted to hang up his boots. The 33-year-old flyhalf has called time on his career having been with the club since their inception in 2020. He has also coached their Pathway 404 development side.

Time will tell if flanker Frederick Henry-Ajudua and utility back Martini Talapusi will return in 2024. The former has committed his international future to Nigeria and will be playing in Olympic qualifiers in September. Talapusi previously represented the USA Selects but has now switched allegiance to Samoa.

A pair of Canadian internationals are also stepping away from the game. NOLA hooker Eric Howard has been plagued with a recurring knee injury and will now pursue a career in law enforcement. The 29-year-old joined the Gold for their inaugural season in 2018 and has made over 50 appearances since to go with 32 test caps and selection the 2019 World Cup.

Versatile Arrows forward Corey Thomas has been forced to call it quits after suffering concussion just one game into the 2023 campaign, his only regular season appearance for the club. The 28-year-old was part of the title-winning LA Giltinis side in 2021 and played 11 internationals for Canada.

Utah will bid farewell to hooker Henry Bell after just one season. The 23-year-old is returning home to New Zealand to play for the Highlanders in the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific campaign. Injury limited Bell to just two games during the first half of the season but he returned to start the the last seven games in the No2 shirt. His younger brother George Bell is on the books for the Crusaders but missed the entirety of the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season with injury.