Injured St George Illawarra halfback Ben Hunt risks missing the opening State of Origin match if he fights a crusher tackle charge stemming from the Dragons’ NRL loss to Newcastle.
Hunt was charged for his tackle on Hymel Hunt in the seventh minute of the Knights 42-18 win on Sunday at McDonald Jones Stadium.
An early guilty plea means a one-game suspension, meaning Hunt would miss the Dragons’ final round clash with Melbourne next Sunday afternoon.
But if Hunt elects to fight the charge at the NRL judiciary and is found guilty, it’s a two-game ban which would rule him out of the Queensland line-up for Origin I in Adelaide on November 4.
Regardless of his plea Hunt is likely to miss the Storm game after being forced off on the weekend with a quad injury, which if serious could affect his chances when Origin squads are announced at the end of the week.
In other judiciary news, Canberra prop Josh Papalii can plead guilty to contrary conduct and pay a $700 fine while Warriors second-rower Jack Murchie faces the same penalty for a careless high tackle from their loss to the Raiders.