Gold Coast Titans captain and Queensland Maroons forward Tino Fa'asuamaleaui will be free to line up for State of Origin Game 2 after escaping a charge from Thursday night's game against the Wests Tigers.
In a first half incident, Fa'asuamaleaui was placed on report for running with a perceived raised forearm into a collision with Wests Tigers and New South Wales Blues dummy half Apisai Koroisau.
Koroisau was forced to leave the field immediately following the incident with a broken jaw, and will now miss at least the next six weeks according to coach Tim Sheens - it's believed Koroisau's jaw is broken in two places, and his Origin campaign is over as a result.
There will be no such issue for Fa'asuamaleaui though, who, despite being placed on report, has no case to answer for after the match review committee released its charge sheet from the Thursday evening game on Friday morning.
Speaking after the game, Fa'asuamaleaui said he didn't believe he had a case to answer, while also suggesting the only reason he was concerned was because the media made him worry.
โIt is a contact sport mate and I am running as hard as I can and he is obviously getting up fast trying to stop me and I guess he came off second best,โ Fa'asuamaleaui said.
โBut I'm hoping he is all right and I'm hoping I'm all right too.
โI think it is the media making me more worried than anything just building it up.
โI am just hoping I get selected first and then I'm hoping I am in the team.โ
No charges were recorded out of the game, which has been something of a rarity this season in a campaign where fines and suspensions have been at an ever-increasing level compared to what was served last year by the MRC.
Fa'asuamaleaui, who was playing his third game in eight days, will now have a break until Origin 2, with the Titans' captain expected to be a shoe-in for Billy Slater's team, which will be announced on Monday morning.
Meanwhile Api gets to sit in the box with Sheens, Benji and Robbie while the Origin Circus does the rounds, then fades for another year.
Head injury damage is the greatest threat to the longevity of Rugby League, and if the NRL administration don’t address it effectively then statutory bodies will have a go; and most of us have seen the window dressing and self-aggrandisement of government involvement.
Spot on Flambe. Meanwhile players get suspended for phantom hip drop tackles.