Tariq Sims pleads guilty to hit on Justin Hodges but his partner is fuming

TARIQ Sims has pleaded guilty to a high shot on Justin Hodges but not before his partner launched a stinging attack on the NRL.

COWBOYS backrower Tariq Sims has pleaded guilty to a high shot on Broncos fullback Justin Hodges but not before his partner launched a stinging attack on the NRL.

Sims’ plea has ended both his season, his chance of playing in a grand final and his career at the Cowboys.

Sims decided to accept the five-week ban rather than fight the charge at the judiciary and risk losing which would have meant a seven week stint on the sideline.

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Prior to the guilty plea, in a stinging attack Ashleigh Sudholz took to social media on Monday to claim her boyfriend was the victim of bias.

Sims’ partner took to social media to voice her views on the charge.

“Corruption in the NRL much?? @NRL should be ashamed of being so damned bias and having different rules for each team. Its a (expletive) joke,” she wrote on Twitter.

Sudholz, a former Ralph swimwear model of the year and Miss Indy, deleted the tweet within 15 minutes.

“I forgot I have to keep my mouth shut when I see someone I love being treated unfair,” she wrote.

Ashleigh Sudholz shows her support for partner Tariq Sims.

Sudholz was not the only one feeling outraged by the charge particularly in north Queensland.

These images prove the NRL’s match review committee is a lottery and that the Cowboys should feel outraged over the severity of the charge.

Round 26: Tony Williams. Grade: No charge. Verdict: Not guilty.

Round One: Sonny Bill Williams. Grade 2. Verdict: early plea.

Round 26: Dylan Napa. Grade 2. Verdict: Downgraded.

Sims’ charge and guilty plea comes just a week after the same match review committee ignored a vicious shoulder charge by Canterbury’s Tony Williams that directly hit the head of Gold Coast’s Aidan Sezer and forced him off the field with concussion.

The Cowboys believe that Sims’ hit on Justin Hodges in their finals victory over Brisbane was late but not high as the only contact was Sims’ head on Hodges’ head.

Hodges even said he hoped Sims would not be suspended and the Cowboys could call on him to provide evidence to the judiciary if they had proceeded down that path.

Tariq Sims’ hit on Justin Hodges.

“I don’t want to whinge about it too much and hopefully he’ll be right to play next week,” Hodges said post-match.

Sims was on Monday “surprised” and “disappointed” at the severity of his charge, taking time away from the club to clear his mind before deciding whether to fight for his season.

After meeing with officials and lawyers on Tuesday to decide if they would fight the ban or grading, the club chose to accpet the banto avoid any distractions ahead of Friday’s semi-final showdown with Sydney Roosters.

It’s not like the Cowboys have a good record with NRL matters in September and there was no shock in Townsville on Monday when the same charge sheet that potentially ended their star player’s season cleared Roosters front rower Jared Waerea-Hargreaves of a high tackle.

This is the third consecutive season a ridiculous decision by NRL officials could have cruelled the Cowboys’ premiership hopes.

With scores 24-14 at the time Brisbane could have altered the result finishing against 12 men.

The Broncos refused to comment on Monday, maintaining the club’s stance of never blaming officials for a defeat.

The NRL has inconsistently applied the shoulder charge and high-tackle rules this year, with several incidents failing to be cited by the match review committee.

There have been 11 shoulder charge bans this year for a combined 18 weeks of suspension.

Sims would have found it near impossible to beat a ban completely after the NRL amended the shoulder charge rules last year to include contact “with any part of the body” striking the head.

Manly’s Richie Fa’aoso was the man who exploited the previous loophole when his head clash from a shoulder charge knocked out Gold Coast’s Ashley Harrison and the Sea Eagles forward successfully argued a downgrade at the NRL judiciary.

The NRL immediately amended the laws of the game after the Fa’aoso ruling to include all contact, including head clashes.