The Cronulla Sharks have likely escaped a bullet with the NRL's match review committee turning a blind eye to two high shots from Braden Hamlin-Uele.

Both tackles were placed on report by referee Adam Gee during the match, with the first seemingly the worst of the two, however, the match review committee found no reason to place either under any further microscope.

The Sharks haven't dodged the firing line of the match review committee entirely though, with Briton Nikora to face a one-week ban with an early guilty plea for a hip drop tackle.

The star second rower, who re-signed during the week, was hit with a Grade 2 dangerous contact charge, and despite the fact it's his first charge of the year, he will face a one-week ban with an early guilty plea, or a two-week ban if he were to fight the charge and lose at the judiciary.

The tackle, on Melbourne's Kenneath Bromwich, didn't appear to be a conventional hip drop tackle, however, did take him out of the remainder of the game.

Andrew Fifita is the other player charged for a dangerous throw on Brandon Smith.

However, despite Smith seeming to go well above the horizontal, Fifita has escaped with only a Grade 1 charge, which means he is eligible for a fine of $1000 with an early guilty plea.

The charges for the Shark marked a busy morning for the NRL's match review committee, who have also elected to directly refer Brandon Smith to the judiciary on Tuesday evening for a comment he made directed at referee Adam Gee.

Nikora and Fifita will elect whether to accept the early guilty plea or fight their charges by midday tomorrow.

1 COMMENT

  1. I dare say that they cut BHA a bit of slack because he has been out for ten weeks and his timing will be a bit off, and AF because it must be his first charge for years.

    Either that or they thought there would be a riot at the judiciary if they came down hard on a couple of old-style props !

    BS can feel hard-done-by, in my opinion. Getting put on report AND getting ten in the bin for saying “about time, I thought we’d never get a penalty” is harsh. One or the other but not both.

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