Cronulla forward Dale Finucane could miss as many as three matches for making dangerous contact with Stephen Crichton, despite escaping on-field sanction for his hit on the Penrith centre.
In the 72nd minute of Penrith's 20-10 win on Saturday night, Finucane made contact with Crichton's head as he attempted a tackle, leaving his Panthers opponent concussed and unable to finish the match.
Finucane's arm swung out but closer inspection appeared to show Crichton had been hit by the lock forward's head, rather than his arm or shoulder.
Crichton went straight to ground and later admitted he remembered little of the match, while having sustained a lacerated left ear.
The NSW State of Origin centre was sent to hospital for plastic surgery.
Finucane was neither penalised on-field nor sin-binned but the match review committee charged him with grade-three dangerous contact — the worst category applicable — on Sunday morning.
He will miss two matches if he takes an early guilty plea but risks sitting out three weeks by taking his case to the NRL judiciary.
Panthers back rower Scott Sorensen said Crichton was not in good shape after the match.
"It was pretty nasty," Sorensen told ABC Sport.
"Poor kid, he wasn't in a very good way after the game. He was a little bit out of it and his ear wasn't good. The tackle came across as a bit careless, but ultimately it was just a head clash.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said it was "weird" referee Ashley Klein chose not to penalise Finucane on the field.
"I guess historically a head clash has been a head clash," Cleary said on Saturday night.
"I just kind of think that for how easy it is to give a high-tackle penalty away now for contact with the head, it just looked bad.
"I am not exactly sure of interpretations but that is clearly contact with the head. It knocks him out. It is just weird that that is OK but the mildest of taps, sometimes, is not OK."
Penrith second rower Viliame Kikau has been fined $1,500 for a shoulder charge on Cronulla winger Connor Tracey.
Elsewhere, the Melbourne Storm's Nelson Asofa-Solomona was charged twice for hits on South Sydney captain Cameron Murray during the Rabbitohs' win on Saturday night.
Asofa-Solomona can escape suspension by accepting a $3,000 fine for each hit but could miss a combined total of four matches if he unsuccessfully challenges his charges at the judiciary.
AAP/ABC
