NRL Finals 2019: Marty Taupau’s season hangs in the balance after sickening high tackle

Sam Burgess will miss South Sydney’s opening finals match while Marty Taupau and Kane Evans could also be banned after being charged by the match review committee.

Manly's Martin Taupau hits Parramatta's Raymond Stone high and is sent to the sin bin during the Parramatta v Manly NRL match at Bank West Stadium, Parramatta. Picture: Brett Costello

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Marty Taupau’s season hangs in the balance with the Manly Sea Eagles star facing a one game ban following a sickening high tackle on Parramatta’s Ray Stone.

Taupau was whacked with a grade three careless high tackle which will see him miss one game with an early guilty plea but two games if he fights the charge and losses. Parramatta prop Kane Evans is facing a one match ban even with an early guilty plea.

Taupau was sin-binned for the tackle which left Stone heavily concussed. Evans was also sin-binned.

They are the fourth big-name players who could miss at least the opening week of the finals after South Sydney’s Sam Burgess and the Roosters’ Jared Waerea-Hargreaves were hit with one game bans following a fiery clash on Thursday night.

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Manly's Martin Taupau hits Parramatta's Raymond Stone high

The Roosters have indicated they will fight Waerea-Hargreaves’ charge.

Any suspension to Taupau significantly weakens a Manly side who are battling a high profile injury list. Manly will struggle to pick a fit squad for their opening final after losing 32-18 to Parramatta on Friday night.

Tom Trbojevic (pectoral), Joel Thompson (arm) Toafofoa Sipley (knee), Trent Hodkinson (knee) won’t play again this year. Morgan Boyle (shoulder) and Jack Gosiewski (knee) missed Friday’s match. Gosiewski should be OK but Boyle is racing the clock. Curtis Sironen (calf), Taniela Paseka (knee) and Brad Parker (concussion) didn’t finish the game.

The loss also meant the Sea Eagles gave up fifth spot on the competition ladder to the Eels.

LISTEN! Matty Johns and Paul Kent are joined by Balmain champion Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach, talking up the big eighth place battle at Leichhardt Oval Sunday, look at some of Manly’s best ever hit men and the time Kenty got completely jammed by Mark Geyer.

Originally published as NRL Finals 2019: Marty Taupau’s season hangs in the balance after sickening high tackle