Cronulla Sharks lock Dale Finucane has spoken to the media following his appearance at the NRL judiciary, claiming he was surprised by the two-week ban he received for a careless tackle on Panther Stephen Crichton.

The duo clashed heads during the attempted tackle, inflicting a brutal injury on Crichtonโ€™s ear that later required plastic surgery. Though the charge was initially submitted as a Grade 3, Finucane was successful in his attempt to downgrade the charge after being found guilty. Heโ€™ll now miss two weeks, including this weekendโ€™s vital clash against South Sydney.

โ€œI was quite surprised,โ€ Finucane told the Daily Telegraph.

โ€œGiven that our game hasnโ€™t seen anything sanctioned for accidental head contact, I was optimistic coming in.

โ€œIโ€™m extremely disappointed with the outcome given it was an accidental offence. While I empathise with Stephen itโ€™s going to set a precedent moving forward.โ€

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Finucane could have accepted a two-week ban with a guilty plea but risked an extra week on the sidelines by appealing the decision. Itโ€™s believed the nature of Crichtonโ€™s subsequent injury may have affected the outcome.

โ€œI didnโ€™t think the laceration would come into it,โ€ Finucane said.

โ€œEvery week players from other sides, myself included, have had a number of lacerations and bruises as the result of accidental head collisions. Theyโ€™re going to be sanctioning that now.

โ€œI wouldnโ€™t change what I did because it was a calculated decision in a football context,โ€ Finucane had earlier told the judiciary.

โ€œItโ€™s a competitive sport and we had to do everything to win. I wouldnโ€™t change what I did.โ€

Meanwhile, Bulldogs player Corey Waddell received a five-game ban for his alleged eye gouge on Titans captain Tino Faโ€™asuamaleaui, despite being adamant the contact was incidental.