Nelson Asofa-Solomona to miss NRL grand final after judiciary fail

Melbourne have been dealt a huge blow with Nelson Asofa-Solomona out of the NRL grand final after failing to have a careless high tackle charge downgraded.

The two-metre Storm prop flew to Sydney to front the judiciary in the hope of taking the field against Penrith on Sunday.

Asofa-Solomona was hit with a four-match ban for his high shot on Sydney Roosters prop Lindsay Collins last Friday night.

Had his lawyer Nick Ghabar succeeded in getting a double downgrade, from a grade-three offence to a grade one, Asofa-Solomona would have been fined $3000 and cleared to play.

Instead, he will now miss five matches, including the bumper clash with the Panthers at a packed Accor Stadium.

“Obviously I’m very disappointed with the result, [but] I had a fair hearing. All my energy will go towards my team to get the result,” Asofa-Solomona said.

Asofa-Solomona, who was not required to give evidence at League HQ, will become the fifth player in the modern era to miss a grand final because of suspension.

“Fair hearing”: Nelson Asofa-Solomona leaves the judiciary on Monday night.Credit: Anneka Peeters

Sydney Roosters forward Luke Ricketson missed the 2004 decider because of suspension, Carl Webb did the following year for North Queensland, as did Cameron Smith (2008) and South Sydney’s Issac Luke in 2014.

Former Penrith junior Lazarus Vaalepu and Joe Chan are the two candidates to replace Asofa-Solomona up front.

While Asofa-Solomona would have returned home a shattered man, Collins also has his own concerns after it was raised during the hearing, which started 40 minutes late, that he had now undergone 11 head injury assessments in 113 games. He failed five of them. Collins also failed a HIA after a heavy concussion during Origin III in 2022.

Judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew reminded panel members Bob Lindner and Paul Simpkins to ignore the fact Asofa-Solomona risked missing a grand final.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona flattens Lindsay Collins.Credit: NRL Imagery

“What is not an issue is whether or not this player plays in a grand final – it has nothing to do with your determination,” Bellew said. “It’s irrelevant. Put it out of your mind. Treat this like any other case.”

NRL counsel Lachie Gyles said the risk of injury and the level of force were both high, which satisfied a higher grading for Asofa-Solomona.

Roosters medical officer Matthew Morgan also confirmed via Zoom that Collins had displayed concussion symptoms on the night. Morgan added Collins played the ball facing the wrong way, and needed to be steadied on his feet by a teammate.

Asofa-Solomona’s lawyer Nick Ghabar tried to use a Valentine Holmes’ tackle from Origin II this year as a comparison with his client’s. Holmes was hit with a grade-one offence for a hit on Payne Haas.

Ghabar argued Holmes’ contact was “more forceful”, and there had been a “deliberate action not to wrap his arms”.

In Asofa-Solomona’s case, Ghabar said he tried to make a wrapping action, never rushed out of the line, did not lead with his shoulder, nor have his feet come off the ground.

“Lindsay was not vulnerable, he was charging at him [Asofa-Solomona] with the intention to run through him, and he couldn’t,” Ghabar said.

Asofa-Solomona had been charged twice for high tackles in the last six weeks of the regular season.

Players seeking a double downgrade was almost unheard of in the NRL. The New Zealand Warriors succeeded with a double downgrade at the start of last year when Zyon Maiu’u had a grade-two reckless high tackle reduced to a grade-three careless high tackle, or a four-match ban cut to two matches, from a pre-season game.

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