Storm giant Nelson Asofa-Solomona has escaped time on the sideline following an ugly high shot in Melbourne’s defeat to Parramatta on Saturday night.
The Melbourne front-rower avoided copping a sin-bin but was reported for a high hit on Parramatta forward Makahesi Makatoa.
However, despite the brutality of the hit, he was only charged with a grade one careless high tackle, and will pay a $1000 fine rather than miss games.
Asofa-Solomona was the third man in and clobbered Makatoa with his right arm during the second-half incident.
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“Into the back of the head. Is that not a sin-bin?” Michael Ennis said on the Fox League broadcast.
“It’s direct contact to the back of the head. It’s a swinging arm… and he’s had time to plant himself and think about it. It’s deliberate.”
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The referee’s decision to not sin-bin Asofa-Solomona appeared to contradict the NRL’s crackdown on high contact, which took effect in Magic Round last season.
The controversial hit put Asofa-Solomona in doubt for the Storm’s clash with the Bulldogs in Melbourne next Sunday, before the charge sheet was released on Sunday.
“It’s worse than a crusher tackle, that,” commentator Andrew Voss said.
Makatoa followed up Asofa-Solomona’s hit with a high shot of his own, thumping his right arm into the head of Storm back-rower Kenneath Bromwich.
Makatoa wasn’t reported but the Eels conceded a penalty.
“Have we got time to put an octagon or something out there?” Voss said with a laugh.
The Storm fell to the Eels in a 28-24 golden-point thriller in round three, registering its first loss of the season.
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