Sharks lock Dale Finucane is facing up to three weeks on the sideline after being hit with a grade-three dangerous-contact charge for the hit on Stephen Crichton in Saturday’s loss to the Panthers.
If he accepts an early guilty plea Finucane will be rubbed for two games, but he’ll miss three matches if he challenges the charge at the judiciary and loses.
The charges left greats of the game scratching their heads.
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Andrew Johns argued on Nine’s The Sunday Footy Show that the contact was clearly accidental.
“That’s harsh. If you look at it in real time, he flies out of the line and it’s an accident. He just gets the timing wrong because he’s gone so hard, but it’s an accident. Accidents happen,” Johns said.
Johns said he didn’t even believe the hit warranted a penalty, while Brad Fittler said the incident should have drawn a penalty for contact with the head, but no more.
“It was careless to a degree because he ended up having contact with the head, but I think it’s a penalty and left there,” Fittler said.
The tackle left Crichton’s ear looking like a “car crash” and required multiple stitches at the ground. He was then transferred to hospital where plastic surgeons put it back together properly.
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Finucane was not penalised.
Fittler said if it was him who had been charged he would want to fight it at the judiciary.
“The intention isn’t there to hurt,” he said.
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