Sharks leader will be right to play in the NRL finals after being spared.
Paul Gallen has been given a reprieve by the match review committee, facing just one week on the sidelines for a crusher tackle on Scott Bolton.
The Cronulla skipper was penalised and placed on report for the ugly tackle as the Shark as were beaten at home by the in-form North Queensland Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.
In the post-match press conference Gallen said he was “surprised” to have been placed on report for a tackle that he felt hadn’t warranted a penalty, but with the NRL under pressure to crack down on the ‘crusher’ style, which places pressure on the ball carrier’s neck and back, there were fears in the Sharks camp that Gallen would be hit with a lengthy suspension.
But while the match review committee saw fit to charge Gallen, it categorised the charge grade one dangerous contact, resulting in a one week suspension with or without an early guilty plea due to carry over points from a previous offence.
Gallen was joined on the charge sheet by Broncos Dunamis Lui and Peter Wallace, the Bulldogs’ Josh Jackson, and Roosters enforcer Frank-Paul Nuuausala. Each of those players will escape suspension with an early guilty plea.
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