Round 27 Judiciary News, Late Mail: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Corey Horsburgh Cop Huge Bans

The NRL judicial panel ruled against Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, thus ending his season. Meanwhile, Canberra took a chance on a must-win encounter in round 27, and Corey Horsburgh found out his fate.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, an enforcer for the Roosters, was given a hefty seven-game suspension by the NRL judiciary on Tuesday night after failing in his quest to have a dangerous contact charge lessened.

Following a fight that ensued after his late shot on Api Koroisau, Waerea-Hargreaves, who has already been charged five times this year, accepted a three-match suspension for a striking charge for headbutting Wests Tigers prop Stefano Utoikamanu.

The Roosters gambled in the hopes that the grade two penalty for dangerous contact on Koroisau, which would have resulted in a $3000 fine, could be lowered, allowing the veteran prop to play in the club's potential preliminary final.

The judiciary panel comprised of Bob Lindner and Sean Hampstead, however, unanimously found him guilty, and his ban was increased to four matches, meaning he will miss the entire finals series and the trip to Las Vegas next year unless the club successfully argues to the NRL that he would have been selected for the end of year Tests.

A "high risk of injury" was found to have been placed on a susceptible kicker, and it was concluded that the Roosters star had "at the very least" acted in a highly careless manner.

Counsel for the court, Patrick Knowles, stated that Waerea-Hargreaves was "reckless" in a tackle on Koroisau, who had kicked with the force of "a metaphorical freight train."

He claimed the Roosters prop "foresaw the danger of the contact" but nonetheless made it, increasing the likelihood of harm.

His words: "That tackle is at best always going to be around the very top of the shoulders," implying that the 34-year-old had set his sights solely on Koroisau.

You can't argue with the evidence that there was no head or neck contact.

When cross-examined by defense attorney James McLeod, Waerea-Hargreaves said that he was only trying to apply kick pressure and never intended to harm the victim's head or neck.

According to him, "my first contact is with his upper left shoulder and my torso," which is what caused the brawl that got him sent out.

"I understand I was tardy, perhaps awkward, and perhaps incorrect, but I did intend to make the tackle and did make the tackle.

I think he was carried along by my momentum.

"I concede I made a mistake in this tackle.

The ability to halt on a dime eluded me. It was a somewhat awkward tackle.

McLeod argued that the lack of injuries, whiplash, or an HIA, together with the lack of evidence from any of the eight camera viewpoints, demonstrated that his client's conduct was irresponsible.

Waerea-Hargreaves will miss Friday night's crucial match against the Rabbitohs because of his suspension, which will prevent the experienced prop from contributing to his team.

The Roosters' spokesman declined to comment to the media following the hearing.

RAIDER’S GAMBLE TO SAVE SEASON FAILS

Canberra's fiery forward Corey Horsburgh was banned for four games for a shoulder charge on Corey Jensen, the latest blow for the Green Machine before their must-win match against the Sharks. He will not play again this season until the Raiders make the Grand Final.

After listening to Horsburgh's case for 40 minutes, the judicial panel of Sean Hampstead and Bob Lindner reached a unanimous guilty judgment in just 25 minutes.

Horsburgh, a forward for Queensland, chose to defend his grade one charge for a tackle in the 79th minute that was not penalized, risking an additional week of suspension.

According to Horsburgh, "I'm obviously very disappointed with the result."

I just wanted to say thanks for having Nick speak on my behalf.

To put it bluntly, "I think four weeks is a bit much, but it is what it is."

According to Patrick Knowles, the judiciary's chief counsel, there was "no doubt that the contact was forceful" and that neither arm was seeking to wrap in the tackle; Horsburgh didn't help matters by clenching his fist.

No reasonable person could dispute that Horsburgh's upper arm made direct contact with the ball carrier, as stated by Knowles.

No effort was made to employ the arm.

According to the Rugby League Laws and Regulations, "Shoulder charges are illegal because the greater levels of risk that a player can exert using a shoulder alone are dangerous."

Using evidence from eight different camera angles, defense attorney Nick Ghabar argued that the player's frontal tackle was not reckless and that he was only trying to wrap his arms around the ball carrier.

While Knowles dismissed Ghabar's claim that the right arm was not tucked in during the shoulder charge, Ghabar insisted that this was the point of initial contact.

The key argument put forth was that Jensen feigned a shoulder charge when he placed his bumpers up, preventing Horsburgh from completing a wrapping motion with his right arm.

However, the judges concluded that he wasn't trying to make a legal tackle because his hand was clenched and there was no attempt to wrap the right arm.

Horsburgh is out for the Raiders' Sunday afternoon matchup against Cronulla; the winner of that game will host the final the following week, and the Raiders still have a slim chance of missing the playoffs if results go against them.

Simon Tayoun, a rabid Raiders fan who waited outside Rugby League Central dressed in Canberra regalia and playing his distinctive drum, was not pleased with the outcome.

Losing veteran prop Josh Papalii for the rest of the season due to a biceps injury is a major setback for the Green Machine.