Sharks prop Andrew Fifita has been successful in having his grade three dangerous throw charge downgraded at a judiciary hearing at Rugby League Central tonight.
Fifita was facing six weeks on the sideline should he have been unsuccessful with his appeal, however the positive outcome means he will miss just two matches and be available for selection for the Sharks round nine match against the New Zealand Warriors.
At the hearing tonight Fifita was accompanied by Sharks head coach Shane Flanagan, Group CEO Lyall Gorman, Football Manager Darren Mooney and his legal counsel.
The tackle in question was in the 11th minute of the match against the Newcastle Knights, with Fifita charged for a lifting tackle on Knights hooker Adam Clydesdale.
With an early plea to the charge Fifita would have missed four games, however believing the grading of the tackle was inconsistent with previous incidents of a similar nature, the club made the decision to challenge the grading.
The grade two charge now sees Fifita accumulate 292 penalty points, therefore he misses two games and has 92 carryovers, points which would be added to any future match review committee charges.
The Sharks have selected Sam Tagataese in Fifita’s place in the team to play Souths on Monday night, with his brother David also unavailable due a fracture in his fibula.
