The club were handed a �25,000 fine for putting out a side missing 12 regulars in the 54-22 Super League defeat to Bradford the week before the Challenge Cup final.

Saints coach Ian Millward claimed the absentees were carrying injuries, although they all played in the Cup final defeat by Wigan at Murrayfield a week later.

The three-man RFL panel said St Helens were found to have "engaged in conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game".

But the club insisted they were legitimate injuries and are taking legal advice on their next step.

"We do not agree with the grounds or basis of the decision and very concerned that the worldwide reputation and name of the St Helens club has been wrongly and irrevocably damaged," the club said in a statement.

"And, of equal import, that the professional reputations and careers of our highly reputable medical and coaching staff have also been wrongly damaged.

"We presented a detailed case, entirely based on fact and expert medical evidence, which we firmly believe constituted an incontrovertible case that St Helens fielded their strongest possible team."

Appeal pending

The club said the decision could be damaging to rugby league as a whole during a period of pressure on the sport.

"The Rugby Football League has slapped a significant fine on a financially-challenged club, in a financially-challenged town, in a financially-challenged game," the statement said.

"Its wider consequences for the game and for all rugby league teams have not been adequately thought through."

St Helens said they would provide a further statement when they had investigated possible avenues of redress.

But they admitted that under RFL rules only the size of the fine could be appealed, not the decision.