This was published 8 years ago
State of Origin 2016: Sam Thaiday avoids send-off for ugly spear tackle on Paul Gallen
By Chris Barrett
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Queensland veteran Sam Thaiday was on Wednesday night slapped with a grade-two dangerous throw charge for a spear tackle on NSW captain Paul Gallen at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
In an ugly incident in the 13th minute of Origin II, Gallen was up-ended in a tackle in which Maroons lock Corey Parker was also present but it was Thaiday who was principally responsible for leaving the Blues skipper tipped on his head.
Thaiday's charging leaves him in danger of being being rubbed out of the final match of the State of Origin series. He has no carryover points but will accrue 243 points - a two-match ban - if he takes the early guilty plea. If he does not and fights the charge and loses at the judiciary, Thaiday will pick up 325 demerit points and miss three matches.
With Thaiday's club side Brisbane having two games scheduled before the third match of the interstate series in Sydney on July 13 anything more than a two-match ban would render him unavailable for the finale.
The 31-year-old was in some respect fortunate to remain on the field but referees Gerard Sutton and Ben Cummins settled for simply placing him on report.
The match review committee was not so forgiving when it conferred shortly after full-time to consider footage of the tackle.