Sharks prop Aiden Tolman will miss this weekend's match against the Tigers after taking the early guilty plea on a dangerous contact charge from the game against Newcastle on Sunday.
Tolman was charged for a tackle on Knights forward Daniel Siafiti when defending his line late in the contest, with the indiscretion for what was described as a ‘hip drop tackle’ attracting a 142-point penalty, plus 30 carry over points for an early plea.
The 172 points will see him suspended for one game and accumulate 72 carry over points to be added to any further charges.
Tolman would have been assessed with 220 points, had he challenged and been unsuccessful in having the charge dismissed, meaning he would have missed two matches.
The experienced Sharks front rower will now be unavailable for the Tigers game on Saturday, however in taking the early plea he will be available to tackle the Broncos the week following.
With the Sharks depth in the forwards already currently being tested due to the injury to Andrew Fifita and the unavailability of Royce Hunt amongst others, the loss of Tolman is a blow ahead of the team’s crucial clash this weekend.
Also stemming from the Newcastle game, Braden Hamlin-Uele was charged with a grade one high tackle, however he has accepted the charge, been given a $750 fine and is free to play against the Tigers.
The incident involving Hamlin-Uele occurred in the 16th minute of the match.
The Sharks and Tigers clash on Saturday in Rockhampton, with the Sharks team list to be announced at 4.00pm today.
It was hoped Matt Moylan and Teig Wilton would be available for selection for this week’s game, Moylan having battled a calf problem in recent weeks, Wilton a hamstring issue.
