Sharks prop Andrew Fifita will be unavailable for selection for the next three matches after being suspended for a crusher tackle stemming from the Newtown Jets game against the North Sydney Bears last Sunday.
Fifita was charged with a grade one crusher tackle, which attracts a 200-point, two match penalty, however with loading and carryovers for previous incidents the points total of 435 would see him miss four games.
In accepting the early guilty plea, Fifita will now miss three matches and retain 45 carryover points.
The incident in question took place 13 minutes into the match, Fifita making a tackle on Norths five-eighth Ronald Volkman, with it deemed he used his body to apply dangerous pressure to the head/neck of his opponent.
The suspension is a blow for Fifita and for a Cronulla team battling something of an injury crisis, with Wade Graham and Josh Dugan set to sit out the game against the Knights on Friday night after the pair suffered concussions in the loss to the Roosters last weekend.
The Sharks are hoping to welcome Siosifa Talakai back into the squad for what would be his first game of the 2021 season after recovering from shoulder surgery, while Briton Nikora returns following a two-match suspension.
