Canberra’s Sia Soliola is set to face the NRL season’s most anticipated judiciary hearing where he is certain to be suspended for knocking out Melbourne star Billy Slater.
Soliola will learn his fate on Tuesday night for his dangerous contact charge, which was referred straight to the judiciary.
Of the 12 players referred straight to the NRL judiciary since 2002, only one, Storm prop Jesse Bromwich, has escaped suspension.
Five matches was the shortest ban while Melbourne’s Danny Williams has the record for the longest suspension, when in 2004 he was rubbed out for 18 matches for a punch on Wests Tigers forward Mark O’Neill.
A six-match ban would potentially end Soliola’s season, with the Raiders unlikely to play finals in 2017.
The club has refused to comment on the incident, saying they don’t want to jeopardise Soliola’s case.
While Soliola has an outstanding reputation, the judiciary could come down hard on the versatile forward with the incident among the most heavily scrutinised of the season.
The 30-year-old is set to become the third Raider to miss Saturday’s match against South Sydney through suspension, with Jordan Rapana and Josh Papalii serving bans for shoulder charges.