By Sam Ackerman
Wade Graham's State of Origin dream is now officially in the hands of the NRL judiciary - and he should have his heart broken.
His hit on Cowboy Johnathan Thurston has been deemed a careless high tackle by the match review committee, but the lowest grade possible. That would normally be enough to avoid suspension with an early guilty plea.
Not this time.
A prior offence that the Sharks vice-captain had opted for the early plea on has come back to bite. It means his charge is loaded slightly higher and he has enough carry over points from that to mean the only way he can avoid a one game ban - and therefore miss his Origin debut - is to be proved not guilty by the judicial panel.
You best believe Graham's going to fight this. Origin players have a long history of winning judiciary battles for borderline offences - remember when both Jarryd Hayne and Billy Slater were cleared after a tussle with each other including a headbutt?
This isn't Blues bashing, far from it. I'm in the NSW supporter camp and Graham would have been my first choice for that role at the start of the series, he's just the type of player that could make a difference at this level.
Ask yourself this - if this wasn't about an Origin berth, would this usually be enough for a week on the sideline?
I say yes. Thurston was slipping, but there was enough intent in that swinging arm to be worthy of a sanction.
I hate the "is it worthy of missing Origin?" argument. Plenty of New Zealanders have missed Test matches for offences similar to this, but it doesn't draw anywhere near the attention moments like this do around Origin. Give me a break.
Graham was obviously worked up for this game and what it could represent for his career, and he was a bit of a hot-head in patches, being marched 10 meters for dissent wasn't a great look either.
I would be disappointed to see Graham miss the game but if the judiciary is about fair and equal treatment, they have to stand him down.
Warriors skipper Ryan Hoffman may be reaching for his passport if Graham's fate is sealed.
Newshub.
