‘Better luck getting Powerball’: Felise Kaufusi free to play in eighth place playoff

The Dolphins’ bid to make their first finals series has received a shot in the arm after Felise Kaufusi fought his charge at the judiciary.

Felise Kaufusi is free to play. Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images

The Dolphins have received a massive boost ahead of their do-or-die showdown with the Knights after hit man Felise Kaufusi avoided a ban having had his dangerous contact charge downgraded at the judiciary.

Kaufusi was hit with a grade two dangerous contact charge for a tackle on Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds that forced him from the field for a head injury assessment, with the pair mouthing off as they crossed paths on the sideline after the Dolphins star was sent to the sin bin.

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The veteran back-rower pleaded guilty to the charge but sought a downgrade on Tuesday night, with the Dolphins star even choosing to fly down to Sydney with assistant coach Kristian Woolf for the hearing.

After a hearing that lasted just over an hour, the panel of Tony Puletua and Sean Hampstead took less than 10 minutes to determine the force was low, the risk of injury was low and that Reynolds had time to defend himself.

It means Kaufusi is free to face the Knights on Sunday afternoon but will have to pay an $1800 fine after avoiding what would have been a three-match ban if he’d been unsuccessful.

“It’s probably not showing now (that I’m the most relieved man in rugby league) but it’s just sinking in,” a relieved Kaufusi said.

“There was a lot on the line because I was looking at three weeks, so it was only right for me to come down and challenge.

“Hopefully this is a big boost (for the team). We’ve got a lot riding on this game. It’s a big occasion for the boys, and hopefully this picks up the boys.

“I think I had better luck getting into the Powerball. The last time I came down (to the judiciary) I was quietly confident and got four weeks.

“You never know with these things and you can never be comfortable – I definitely wasn’t – but I knew we had a good case, good counsel, the backing of the club and the great Nick Ghabar who did well tonight.”

Felise Kaufusi got off with a fine. Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images

Judiciary counsel Lachlan Gyles used nine angles and argued that Reynolds was “vulnerable” and that the level of force was moderate and direct to the head.

“At the time of the contact, Reynolds didn’t have the ball,” he said.

“The contact was high, the contact was late and there was an opportunity to deviate or to put his hands out to reduce the impact on Reynolds. There was a level of force that was moderate. He came out of the line and accelerated into the contact.

“Reynolds was vulnerable at the time and couldn’t avoid the contact.”

Defence counsel Nick Ghabar used a comparable tackle from last month when Dragons forward Jack de Belin was hit with a grade one dangerous contact charge for a tackle on Kieran Foran that saw him sent to the sin bin.

But Gyles said that Kaufusi used an “unconventional tackle technique compared to de Belin” and that there was time to reduce the point and force of the contact before his left shoulder made contact to the head.

Kaufusi will play for the Dolphins against the Knights. Photo by Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images

Ghabar defended Kaufusi and said he had done his job well because Reynolds had a look at the defensive line and that he had a job to put legitimate pressure on the ballplayer.

His main argument was that it was “glancing or secondary contact with the side of the head” and that any carelessness was at the lower level.

“It’s not like he’s running up like a madman,” he said, arguing Reynolds wasn’t in a vulnerable position given he had time to put his bumpers up to protect himself.

“Most of the force was from the two torsos contacting each other. There was then secondary force when the head makes glancing or incidental contact with Kaufusi’s left shoulder.

“There is very little reaction from Reynolds’ head. It hardly moves after the glancing contact.”

The Dolphins are coming off a huge win over the Broncos and will make the finals for the first time if they can beat the Knights, with the winner of Sunday’s game to finish eighth.

Originally published as ‘Better luck getting Powerball’: Felise Kaufusi free to play in eighth place playoff