Cronulla captain Wade Graham has put himself at risk of a four-game ban after opting to front the NRL judiciary on Tuesday where he will fight a reckless high tackle charge.
The Sharks’ NRL skipper was charged following Saturday’s 27-18 loss to South Sydney. The 32-year-old made contact with the head of Davvy Moale while trying to tackle the Rabbitohs prop in the second half.
Graham was sin-binned at the time and even South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou said the Cronulla veteran had no intent to hurt Moale. Graham and the Sharks have opted to fight the charge and are likely to argue that it was careless rather than reckless.
If he is successful with that argument, it will shave some length off his three-game ban or even lead to his punishment being reduced to a fine depending on the grading. But if he loses the appeal, Graham will miss Cronulla’s next four games starting with this weekend’s away trip to face Parramatta.
Canberra winger Jordan Rapana has copped a three-game ban for his shoulder charge on Scott Drinkwater in the 19-18 loss to North Queensland.
While the hit was charged as a grade one, Rapana’s poor record at the judiciary in the past year meant he could not accept a fine and will instead cop a three-game ban with an early guilty plea rather than risk an extra week by taking on the judiciary.
Coach Tim Sheens insists he won’t be rushed into bringing John Bateman into the team as Wests Tigers continue to play the long game on the back-rower.
The Tigers’ 22-10 loss to Gold Coast was made worse by Shawn Blore‘s concussion, with the back-rower needing to tick several boxes if he’s to face Newcastle on Sunday.
Signed by the Tigers on a four-year deal in December, Bateman was only able to enter Australia in the last week of February after a delay having his visa approved.
The Tigers have made clear they want to ensure Bateman has reached maximum conditioning before playing this season, while also being brought to speed on team structure and tactics.
“I won’t commit too much on John,” Sheens said. “He has just landed basically, is settling in. Still doesn’t know the plays. I’m not going to push him if we don’t think he is ready. If it was a grand final this week, he would play.
“But we have invested four years in him and I am not going to ruin the opportunity early by pushing him through because we have lost a game.”
Sheens must also decide whether to start captain Apisai Koroisau at hooker against the Knights, after he was eased into the match off the bench on Sunday after a calf complaint disrupted his pre-season.
Titans veteran Kieran Foran is due to have scans late on Monday after fears he suffered a PCL injury after being hit in the knee in a tackle from the side by Koroisau.
The veteran No.6 was hopeful the discomfort was a result of a cork, but the Titans fear they are likely to receive worse news with time on the sidelines likely.
Dragons veteran Jack de Belin is in doubt for Sunday’s home clash with Gold Coast due to a calf injury with teenage forward Toby Couchman reportedly a chance of making his NRL debut in St George Illawarra’s first match of the year after having the bye first up.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Roosters prop Matt Lodge faces a lengthy stint out after suffering a facial fracture in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins while lock Victor Radley will need to pass the concussion protocols to play in Round 2.
Egan Butcher was the only player pinged by the match review committee on Monday, charged with dangerous contact for an incident on Dolphins forward Jarrod Wallace, but he can avoid a ban with a fine of $1800.
Rabbitohs forwards Jai Arrow and Tevita Tatola were casualties of Saturday night’s win over Cronulla. Arrow has a hamstring problem which will likely rule him out for a few weeks while Tatola was concussed from the first hit-up of the match.
Star fullback Latrell Mitchell copped a knock to his knee but is hopeful of not missing any time.
Storm star Cameron Munster will miss 2-3 weeks with the gruesome finger injury he suffered in Thursday night’s win over Parramatta while winger Xavier Coates (shoulder) is also set to add another hit to the already depleted backline.
Broncos fullback Reece Walsh looks set to return from his facial fracture in Round 2 in an added boost for Brisbane after their Round 1 upset at Penrith.
Teams will be officially announced on Tuesday at 4pm AEDT.
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Round 2 teams
Panthers vs Rabbitohs, at BlueBet Stadium – 7.50pm, Thursday, March 9
Panthers: Apart from winger Taylan May being out for the season with a torn ACL, coach Ivan Cleary has a full squad and is unlikely to make any changes after the 13-12 loss to Brisbane.
Rabbitohs: Taane Milne is available after he served the last match of his ban for a finals high shot which ruled him out of Fiji’s World Cup campaign. Izaac Thompson got first crack at the wing spot left vacant by Milne and is likely to be retained.
Bench forward Hame Sele (calf) may return after missing the win over the Sharks but prop Tevita Tatola will have to pass the concussion protocols. Jai Arrow is likely to be out a few weeks with a hamstring problem.
Eels vs Sharks, at CommBank Stadium – 6pm, Friday, March 10
Eels: Kiwi winger Bailey Simonsson was a late withdrawal after trying to make an early comeback from shoulder surgery last Thursday. Ryan Matterson (suspension) and Shaun Lane (broken jaw) are out.
Sharks: Craig Fitzgibbon could be without star halfback Nicho Hynes again due to his calf tear, meaning Braydon Trindall may get another chance in the No.7 jersey.
Co-captain Wade Graham is facing a ban of 3-4 games for his high shot on Davvy Moale in the loss to Souths.
Wade Graham of the Sharks looks dejected after being sent off for ten minutes. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Broncos vs Cowboys, at Suncorp Stadium – 8.05pm AEDT, Friday, March 10
Broncos: Reece Walsh’s fractured eye socket suffered in the pre-season has healed so he will likely return at fullback with Selwyn Cobbo switching to the wing and Jesse Arthars dropping out.
Cowboys: There are no injury concerns for Todd Payten after the win over Canberra.
Roosters vs Warriors, at Allianz Stadium – 3pm, Saturday, March 11
Roosters: Joey Manu (facial fracture) and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (back) are likely to return while Victor Radley (concussion) is in doubt.
Angus Crichton (personal leave) and fellow second-rower Sitili Tupouniua (knee injury) are out while Matt Lodge (facial fracture) is set to be out a month after copping a knock in the loss to the Dolphins.
Warriors: Jazz Tevaga is a chance to return from a hernia problem this weekend.
Dolphins vs Raiders, at Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe – 5.30pm, Saturday, March 11
Dolphins: Bench forward Herman Ese’ese is out for a few weeks with a pectoral injury which but his replacement, Connelly Lemuelu, played strongly in the win over the Roosters.
Raiders: Star prop Josh Papali’i was absent with a calf complaint last week while Jordan Rapana (dangerous contact) has been banned for three games for his shoulder charge on Scott Drinkwater in the 19-18 loss to North Queensland.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Storm vs Bulldogs, at AAMI Park, – 7.35pm, Saturday, March 11
Storm: Cameron Munster’s broken finger will keep him out for at least a fortnight while Xavier Coates is also under an injury cloud due to a shoulder problem.
Bulldogs: Tevita Pangai jnr will miss the next couple of weeks after suffering a calf strain at training while Luke Thompson has also been sidelined with an ankle complaint for six months after a training mishap last week.
Tigers vs Knights, at Leichhardt Oval, – 4.05pm, Sunday, March 12
Tigers: John Bateman will possibly be held back another week due to his late start to pre-season training while winger Ken Maumalo is unlikely to return from a knee injury.
Shawn Blore copped a head knock against the Gold Coast and will be monitored during the week.
Api Koroisau controversially started off the bench in Round 1 and after that backfired he is likely to be in the run-on side this week.
Knights: Veteran centre Dane Gagai (hamstring) missed the loss to the Warriors with Enari Tuala recovering from a pectoral injury to take his place. Former Titans winger Greg Marzhew was omitted due to a minor hip issue and could make his first appearance for Newcastle in Round 2.
Dragons vs Titans, at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, – 6.15pm, Sunday, March 12
Dragons: Jack de Belin is in doubt for Sunday’s home clash with Gold Coast due to a calf injury with teenage forward Toby Couchman reportedly a chance of making his NRL debut in St George Illawarra’s first match of the year after having the bye first up.
With Cody Ramsey out until next year due to his intestinal problem, Tyrell Sloan should get another chance to lock down the fullback role.
Jayden Sullivan has won the race for the St George Illawarra No.6 jersey with Jack Bird confirming he will start the season at lock. Incumbent Tyrell Amone was set to start the season at No.6, before he was charged with assault and stood down under the NRL’s no-fault policy.
Jacob Liddle is slated to slot in at hooker with Moses Mbye probably ending up as the bench utility.
Bye – Manly
Josh Schuster was ruled out of the season opener with a calf injury so Cooper Johns got the nod at five-eighth. Schuster is likely to return in Round 3.
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