Cronulla v St George - NRL Trial Match
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 12: Aiden Tolman of the Sharks looks on from the sideline during the NRL Trial Match between the Cronulla Sharks and the St George Illawarra Dragons at PointsBet Stadium on February 12, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

The Cronulla Sharks' loss to the Newcastle Knights is about to get a whole lot worse, with Aiden Tolman staring down the barrel of more time on the sidelines.

Tolman has only played three games since returning from his last suspension, when he missed the Round 19 fixture against the Canterbury Bulldogs for a dangerous tackle late in the Sharks' loss to the Canberra Raiders.

The veteran prop has been charged by the match review committee this time around for dangerous contact, stemming from yesterday's loss.

The Cronulla enforcer is looking at a two-game ban if he fights and loses at the judiciary, however, can get it down to a single game if he takes the early guilty plea.

Tolman's loss, provided he doesn't win at the judiciary, comes at a shocking time for the Sharks, whose season is in dire need of victories.

Yesterday's loss puts Cronulla four points behind the now seventh-placed Newcastle Knights, but more importantly, gives the eighth and ninth-placed teams ahead of them, the Gold Coast Titans and Canberra Raiders, two points worth of breathing room.

It means Cronulla will have to come from the clouds to play finals footy, with the Sharks set to take on the Tigers, Broncos and Storm in the final three rounds, with all three shaping as potentially must-win encounters.

Tolman's role has been that of a big-minutes enforcer, and while he has come off the bench since his return, he has still be strong in the middle third for Cronulla.

The news of Tolman's impending suspension follows that of Andrew Fifita serious throat injury, with reports on Monday afternoon speculating he has now been put into an induced coma.