Storm’s Nelson Asofa-Solomona grand final appeal fails at Judiciary

The Storm have suffered a monumental blow in their bid to free Nelson Asofa-Solomona for Sunday’s grand final against Penrith.

The Storm have suffered a monumental blow with man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona to miss Sunday’s grand final showdown with Penrith after he failed in his bid to have a grade three careless high tackle reduced at the judiciary.

The guilty verdict means the towering prop will miss five matches, instead of the original four, with seven-game rookie Lazarus Vaalepu the man most likely to come in for the biggest night of his career against the Panthers.

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It’s a massive loss for the Storm given Asofa-Solomona generates quick play the balls and can offload at will, with Melbourne all too familiar with the judiciary this time of year after Billy Slater got off in 2018, while Cameron Smith missed the 2008 decider.

The case has dominated the build-up to Sunday’s game, with NRL counsel Lachlan Gyles urging the judiciary panel of Paul Simpkins and Bob Lindner to treat it like any other match and not be influenced by the occasion.

A 90-minute hearing required just a 10-minute deliberation as the panel found him guilty, with Asofa-Solomona – who was joined by Storm general manager of football Frank Ponissi – to miss the grand final and the upcoming Pacific Championships.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona bid to feature in the grand final has failed. NRL PHOTOS

The veteran prop had been seeking a rare double downgrade to a grade one which would have seen him escape with a fine.

“Obviously I’m very disappointed with the result,” he said afterwards.

“I had a fair hearing. All my energy will go towards my team to get the result.”

Dr Matthew Morgan was called upon by NRL counsel Lachlan Gyles and stated what wasn’t included in his report was the “definite fact when he plays the ball backwards, disorientation is what I’m trying to get at”.

Gyles pointed out that Collins played the ball the wrong way and also needed assistance to remain on his feet as clear signs of a concussion.

Dr Morgan also explained what was meant in his report surrounding the results of Collins’ test. However, the results of those tests are confidential.

A comparison was made with Val Holmes’ tackle on Payne Haas in Origin II this year which was classed as a category one charge.

The NRL argued Asofa-Solomona’s plea of guilty, only contesting the charge, is an agreement he committed foul play.

They also claimed all indicators are in line with a grade three charge, claiming Asofa-Solomona made no attempt to lower his body.

They described the level of force as a “high level” which was significantly higher than that of Holmes’ Origin tackle.

Gyles then established direct contact was made to the head of Collins, with teammate Eliesa Katoa dropping his body, while he argued Asofa-Solomona did the opposite.

But the Storm argued that Holmes’ tackle involved a much higher risk of injury than Asofa-Solomona’s.

Originally published as Storm’s Nelson Asofa-Solomona grand final appeal fails at Judiciary