North Queensland Cowboys forward Jason Taumalolo will miss the opening two matches of the Rugby League World Cup for Tonga.
The barnstorming forward has been hit with a Grade 2 dangerous contact charge for his shot on Parramatta Eels' enforcer Isaiah Papali'i during Friday night's preliminary final in Townsville.
Occurring in the first half of the game, the shot saw Taumalolo make no genuine attempt to wrap his arm in the tackle, with his shoulder instead making direct and forceful content around the jaw region of the Eels' forward.
It was a tackle which saw Taumalolo placed in the sin bin, and Papali'i sent for a HIA, although he would ultimately pass the test to return to the game.
The charge was handed down as a 'dangerous contact' charge however rather than a shoulder charge. A Grade 2 shoulder charge would have seen Tauamlolo sidelined for four matches with an early guilty plea.
The three-match suspension he is now facing comes as a result of two prior charges this season, with the NRL's judiciary code displaying more severe penalties for the more offences on a player's record.
Taumalolo could yet head to the judiciary to contest the Grade 2 dangerous contact charge, however, would risk an additional match to the three he faces.
He won't miss any matches for the Cowboys with the charge however after they were knocked out on Friday by the Eels. Instead, the lock forward will miss three matches for Tonga.
Based on the precedent of allowing Lindsay Collins and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves to miss warm-up games as part of the suspension, Taumalolo will miss a warm up game with France to be played on October 8 in Halifax, before being unavailable for matches against Papua New Guinea and Wales. He will return for the third and final group stage game against the Cook Islands.
