Felise Kaufusi handed four-week ban by the NRL judiciary

The NRL judiciary have delivered a heavy-handed response to a Dolphins enforcer, handing him a monster suspension.

The Dolphins are set to be without Felise Kaufusi for the next four weeks after he failed to have his grade two dangerous contact charge overturned.

After pleading his case the NRL judiciary voted unanimously to reject the bid and hand the star a lengthy ban.

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Kaufusi’s defence used Joseph Suaalii’s tackle on Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad from round 2 as a precedent after that tackle was deemed a grade one offence.

Unfortunately for the Dolphins enforcer the four-man panel wasn’t buying the defence and slapped the star with the lengthy ban.

The finding left NCA Newswire journalist Martin Gabor “stunned”.

“Felise Kaufusi GUILTY. I’m stunned. It was a unanimous decision by the panel. Four weeks,” he wrote.

“A huge blow, Felise Kaufusi rubbed out for four weeks,” Fox League’s James Hooper said.

Felise Kaufusi hits Jackson Hastings late.

The suspension means Kaufusi will miss the highly-anticipated Battle of Brisbane, the Broncos and Dolphins will head into the match as No. 1 and No. 2 on the NRL ladder with both sides undefeated after three straight wins.

Hooper said Kaufusi was “mounting a very strong case” during the hearing on NRL360.

“The NRL prosecution is arguing Kaufusi made no attempt to slow down and put Hastings in a vulnerable position,” Hooper said.

“On the flip side, Felise Kaufusi’argument is, he accepts he was careless, the contact was only marginally late, Jackson Hastings was looking directly ahead and engaging the defensive line.

“There have even been suggestions from Felise Kaufusi’s defence lawyer that blind Freddy could see Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad had passed the ball in the case with Suaalii.

“There was severe whiplash in that instance, and who was in a more vulnerable position, well the Kaufusi defence is arguing it was absolutely that lesser charge from Round 2 and that is why he should be given a downgrade.”

Dolphins forward Felise Kaufusi at the NRL judiciary with assistant coach Kristian Woolf. Photo – NRL Photos

NRL360 co-host Paul Kent highlighted the Dolphins enforcer pulled out of the tackle and both The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Crawley and David Riccio agreed.

“Anyone with half a clue, who looks at those two tackles, they are both dangerous tackles the game doesn’t need, but there’s no way they can tell you Suaalii’s is a grade one and Kaufusi’s is a grade two,” Crawley said.

“I think Suaalii’s is worse, he facing the wrong direction... you can see Kaufusi starting to pull out of the tackle,” Riccio added.

Originally published as Felise Kaufusi handed four-week ban by the NRL judiciary