North Queensland Cowboys forward Reuben Cotter has confirmed he will challenge a high tackle charge at the NRL judiciary on Tuesday morning.
Cotter was slapped with a Grade 2 careless high tackle charge by the NRL's match review committee on Sunday morning for a shot early in Saturday's surprise loss to the Canberra Raiders at home.
The charge over the tackle that was sin binned - a first on Cotter's judiciary record - is set to see him suspended for one game with an early guilty plea, or face a second game if he fails at the judiciary.
Instead of simply pushing for a downgrade, Cotter has pled not guilty entirely to the tackle, despite it being deemed bad enough to be a sin bin offence on field.
Cotter, should he be successful in either being found not guilty, or switching to a downgrade, would be eligible to play in the opening weekend of the finals this weekend.
If he is found guilty, he would either lose the Cowboys' second finals match should they win, or the opening game of the Rugby League World Cup where he is almost certain to be selected in the Australian Kangaroos squad.
The hearing will be held on Tuesday evening at NRL HQ, with the Cronulla Sharks also potentially to challenge a high shot from Michael Gabrael that has brought a two-match suspension with it.
The Cowboys and Sharks will clash in the NRL's first elimination final on Saturday evening in Sydney.
