Nelson Asofa-Solomona to Miss NRL Grand Final After Judiciary Decision

Melbourne Storm‘s hopes for the upcoming NRL grand final against Penrith have been severely impacted after Nelson Asofa-Solomona‘s appeal to downgrade his suspension was unsuccessful. The towering forward faced the judiciary in Sydney attempting to reduce a careless high tackle charge, enabling him to participate in the season’s culminating match.

Asofa-Solomona was initially penalized with a four-match ban following his high tackle on Sydney Roosters‘ Lindsay Collins during a recently-concluded match. The incident, which saw Collins visibly disoriented, initiated a judiciary process, with Melbourne hoping to mitigate the suspension by securing a double downgrade of the charge.

Represented by lawyer Nick Ghabar, Asofa-Solomona’s team sought to reclassify the offence to a grade one, which would result in only a monetary fine of $3000. However, the judiciary panel, under chair Geoff Bellew, upheld the grade-three charge, extending the suspension to five matches. Bellew instructed panel members Bob Lindner and Paul Simpkins to disregard the grand final implications during their deliberation.

Throughout the proceedings, NRL counsel Lachie Gyles argued the high risk and force level of the tackle necessitated its higher grading. Evidence provided by Roosters’ medical officer, Dr. Matthew Morgan, highlighted Collins’ immediate concussion symptoms post-tackle, further supporting the judiciary’s stance.

The unsuccessful appeal marks Asofa-Solomona as the fifth player in modern NRL history to miss a grand final due to suspension. The Melbourne team now faces the challenge of filling Asofa-Solomona’s position with possible replacements like Lazarus Vaalepu and Joe Chan, both of whom were part of the preliminary final squad.

As Asofa-Solomona exits the scene, attention shifts to Collins, the tackled player, given his concerning history with concussions. Discussions during the hearing revealed Collins underwent 11 head injury assessments across 113 games, heightening concerns over player safety.