One New Zealand Warriors prop Zyon Maiu’u will miss two matches after successfully having his high tackle charge downgraded at last night’s NRL judiciary hearing.
The 20-year-old was ordered off after a high tackle on Wests Tigers centre Casey Declan in the 20th minute of last Sunday’s Preseason Challenge in Christchurch.
Maiu’u was subsequently handed a grade two reckless high tackle charge which carried a four-game suspension for an early guilty plea and a five-match ban if pleading not guilty and failing at the judiciary.
The One New Zealand Warriors contested the charge, seeking to have it downgraded from a grade two reckless high tackle to a grade three careless high tackle.
This was successful resulting in Maiu’u having his suspension reduced to two matches.
Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is facing an NRL suspension, following his sin-binning in Saturday’s defeat to the Melbourne Storm.
The 28-year-old has been handed a grade two careless high tackle charge, after taking out Melbourne winger Grant Anderson in the second half at Go Media Stadium.
Watene-Zelezniak is facing a one-match ban at the very least, should he plead guilty early, or two matches at most if he contests the charge.
An early plea will see him miss the round 16 clash away to the Gold Coast Titans next weekend, while a two-game suspension would also mean missing the home match against the Brisbane Broncos at the end of June.
Edward Kosi is the likely replacement for Watene-Zelezniak, after deputising for fellow winger Marcelo Montoya earlier this season.
Losing Watene-Zelezniak would be a further blow for the Warriors, who also saw centre Rocco Berry leave the field injured in the defeat.
The Warriors’ official site lists Berry’s condition as a shoulder injury, and the 23-year-old was seen with his arm in a sling towards the end of the game.
Fellow centre Adam Pompey also failed to complete the 80 minutes, and left the field late with what’s been listed as a leg issue.
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