Wests Tigers Toyota Cup player Marika Koroibete only gets three weeks for head slam tackle

A TOYOTA Cup player who produced one of the worst tackles seen in years was last night given just a measly three-week suspension.

Marika Koroibete

A TOYOTA Cup player who produced one of the worst tackles seen in years - and forced a rival from the field in a neck brace on the back of a medicab - was last night given just a measly three-week suspension.

The match review committee squibbed a golden chance to set an example on players attacking the head.

Wests Tigers winger Marika Koroibete was given a grade-three dangerous contact charge for his vicious head-slam on Canberra's Josh Mitchell during a feisty 15-6 Toyota Cup win in Canberra on Saturday night.

But with a guilty plea, Koroibete can be back playing after three weeks - the same amount of time for which Mitchell is expected to be sidelined with a neck injury.

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Replays showed Koroibete placing both hands around the face of Mitchell in a two-man tackle, yanking him sideways then forcing him backwards.

However, The Daily Telegraph understands Koroibete could have been looking at a longer stint had the Raiders bothered to provide a full medical report to the committee.

While Koroibete can consider himself lucky, his Tigers teammate Sitaleki Akaoula was even luckier when he was merely sin-binned for yanking the hair of Canberra winger Brad Smith.

Replays showed he grabbed Smith's long locks, which later sparked a melee.

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