NRL Preliminary Final 2024: Storm 48 d. Roosters 18, Nelson Asofa-Solomona on report

Nelson Asofa-Solomona is going to need a miracle at the NRL judiciary if he is to play in the grand final after being slapped with a monster ban for his high tackle on Rooster Lindsay Collins.

Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona is set to be rubbed out of the NRL grand final.

The Melbourne prop’s premiership hopes have been rocked after being charged with a Grade three careless high tackle charge by the NRL match review committee.

He faces a four to five-game suspension if either he takes the early guilty plea, or he is unsuccessful at the NRL judiciary.

The heavy penalty is impacted by the charge being his third and subsequent offence.

Asofa-Solomona collected Roosters prop Lindsay Collins with a high shot just 19-seconds into the preliminary final clash at AAMI Park on Friday night.

Collins was concussed from the collision and played no further part in the game.

The MRC have the right to take the injury into consideration before metering their charge.

The Storm have already reached out to judiciary specialist Nick Ghabar who has long been the go-to-guy for clubs at panel hearings.

ROOSTERS TAKE SURPRISING STANCE ON GRAND FINAL BAN FOR ASOFA-SOLOMONA

Sydney Roosters stars Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Luke Keary have thrown their support behind Asofa-Solomona’s bid to play in the grand final, insisting they would hate to see the Melbourne giant miss the decider over his tackle on their teammate Lindsay Collins.

Asofa-Solomona was sin-binned and placed on report after collecting Collins with a high tackle from the kick-off at AAMI Park on Saturday night, the incident ruling the Roosters prop out of the game and leaving the Storm facing an anxious wait to see if one of their best forwards is charged by the match review committee.

The MRC will hand down their decision on Saturday morning and anything more than a grade one offence will leave Asofa-Solomona with a fight on his hands to play in the grand final.

That would be a travesty in the eyes of Waerea-Hargreaves and Keary, who played their last games for the Roosters in the loss to Melbourne.

“I hope not, I truly do,” Waerea-Hargreaves said when asked whether Asofa-Solomona should miss the grand final.

Asofo-Solomona's high shot against the Dragons in round 22

Nelson Asofa-Solomona's high tackle in round 24

“It’s why we play, it’s such a physical game. You play that thing in the middle, we’re just out there trying to do our best.

“They are small margins we talk about. I really hope it doesn’t cost Nelson a grand final.”

Keary added: “We said in there, we don’t want to see him miss a grand final.”

Keary did, however, insist that the onus needed to remain on the defender to avoid high contact from kick offs after a second weekend involving an incident directly from the kick-off.

A week ago Manly centre Tolu Koula was knocked out attempting to put a hit on Waerea-Hargreaves, prompting renewed debate over whether the game needed to outlaw kick offs.

“With those kick offs, you’re running like that, the onus is on the defender to not hit this one guy running at full pace (in the head),” Keary said.

“He’s running dead straight. We don’t want to see it banned because it is this gladiatorial sport. But there is one guy running, he’s not moving (sideways).

Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s shoulder makes clear forceful contact with the head of Lindsay Collins.

“You cannot hit him in the head. They’re not ducking at the last second, this isn’t like a fullback stepping. We’ve seen it on our end too, we’ve had blokes hit people high.

“It’s got to be on the defender.”

Asofa-Solomona is one of the most devastating forwards in the game on his day and if he is rubbed out of the grand final, it would be a savage bow to the Storm’s premiership hopes.

“I thought he played well tonight,” Waerea-Hargreaves said.

“There was a lot of talk and speculation on both us guys, and who is going to dominate the middle tonight.

“I thought he played really well. I could feel him going after the game. I truly hope he gets to play (in the grand final). That’s why we play the game.

“I really hope he gets to go out there next week and do the same thing. He’s a Kiwi brother, and you just hope for the best with him.”

LOSS OF NAS WOULD BE A HAMMER BLOW TO STORM’S PREMIERSHIP CHANCES

For the second week in a row, the opening kick-off in a finals game has claimed a casualty. This time, it may come back to haunt Melbourne powerhouse Nelson Asofa-Solomona with the grand final on his doorstep.

Big Nelson’s meeting with Sydney Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was billed as the clash of the heavyweights at AAMI Park in the preliminary final.

The Kiwi giants had locked horns before and were expected to bring the fireworks in their last meeting – Waerea-Hargreaves is bound for Super League next season.

Instead, it was Asofa-Solomona’s clash with Lindsay Collins from the kick-off that stirred emotions in the opening seconds on Friday night.

A week after Manly centre Tolu Koula was knocked out attempting to tackle Waerea-Hargreaves, the locals had barely settled into their seats when Asofa-Solomona charged in looking to make an impact on Collins.

He did that and more. As he peeled off the tackle, Collins stayed on the ground and replays show that Asofa-Solomona’s shoulder had caught the Queensland State of Origin star flush on the jaw.

Referee Grant Atkins didn’t hesitate. Asofa-Solomona was placed on report and dispensed to the sin bin, his grand final aspirations now in the hands of the match review committee as they prepare to pore over footage of the incident in the next 24 hours.

Lindsay Collins playing the ball the wrong way is scary as hell. Horrible. #NRL#NRLFinalspic.twitter.com/J5x8AQYENh

— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) September 27, 2024

Asofa-Solomona and the Storm will be hoping for at worst a grade one charge and a fine. A grade two charge would result in a potential three-match ban and bring a premature end to his season, rubbing him out of the grand final.

That would be a sledgehammer blow to the Storm given the impact Asofa-Solomona has had in the second half of the season.

The big man started the year on the outer with the Storm and coach Craig Bellamy but he has slowly won back their faith, playing a more influential role as the season has progressed.

His teammates spoke of his desire and dedication in recent weeks. He shaped as a point of difference heading into the decider against the winner of Saturday night’s preliminary final between Penrith and Cronulla.

When he was off the field for 10 minutes, the Storm struggled. They conceded the opening try and were on the back foot. When he returned, Melbourne turned it on as they secured a place in their first grand final since 2020.

They ran roughshod over the Roosters as they moved within 80 minutes of the fourth premiership of the Craig Bellamy era. Another grand final looms large.

The big question now is whether Asofa-Solomona will be there.