Canberra’s Hudson Young has been banned for eight matches by the NRL judiciary after being found guilty of dangerous contact with a player’s eyes.

In a dramatic two-and-a-half hours on Tuesday night at NRL headquarters, the judiciary dismissed evidence from Warriors victim Adam Pompey who spoke in defence of the Raiders’ forward.

They also rejected Young’s claims that he had not made any contact with Pompey’s eyes as the centre was diving over on Saturday for a try.

The visibly upset Raiders’ youngster was forced to sit through a further hearing to determine his ban, with the NRL pushing for up to 12 games.

The decision comes on the eve of Canberra’s finals campaign, with his suspension to begin from Saturday’s clash with Melbourne and extend into next season.

The ban is Young’s second this season for dangerous contact with the eye. He was also banned for an ugly incident in round 12 involving Canterbury prop Aiden Tolman.