Sydney Roosters forward Aidan Guerra and Manly winger Jorge Taufua are the latest high-profile NRL players to be hit with shoulder charge bans.
Guerra faces two weeks on the sideline for a grade one shoulder charge on Parramatta’s Peni Terepo, while Taufua could take a one-game ban for a similar charge on Canberra’s Jack Wighton.
Two more players – Gold Coast’s Lachlan Burr and Raiders winger Jordan Rapana – have also been pinged by the match review committee for the controversial no-arms tackle.
Both have been smacked with grade one shoulder charges, with Rapana looking at a two-game suspension and Burr a one-game ban.
Warriors prop Sam Rapira is the only other player that could be rubbed out from the upcoming round after being charged with a grade one dangerous throw on Penrith’s Lewis Brown.
Earlier, South Sydney pair Issac Luke and Luke Keary accepted one-game suspensions stemming from their last-start win over North Queensland.
Luke took the early guilty plea for his dangerous throw on Cowboys’ fullback Lachlan Coote but will contest his grade one shoulder charge on Johnathan Thurston at the NRL judiciary on Wednesday night.
Should he fail in his bid to overturn the charge, the departing Rabbitohs hooker will miss a further two games and won’t be back until the finals.
It is the first time an NRL player will challenge a shoulder charge since the governing body altered its interpretation of the illegal tackle a fortnight ago.
Keary accepted his one-match suspension for his own grade one shoulder charge on Cowboys’ centre Justin O’Neill and will be back the following week against Brisbane.