The NRL judiciary is set to play the villain to the hopes of a fairytale finish to Broncos captain Justin Hodges career.
The retiring centre will need to beat a grade one dangerous throw charge if he's to lead Brisbane into next Sunday's Grand Final against the North Queensland Cowboys. The incident has caused plenty of controversy, with even the man on the end of the tackle, Rooster Aidan Guerra, admitting it would be a harsh punishment for his Origin teammate.
Hodges waved away concerns over the tackle after Friday's game, insisting it was only made dangerous by Guerra jumping while the Broncos skipper was holding onto his leg.
All the protests have so far been in vain with the match review committee deeming it worthy of going to the judiciary. Even an early guilty plea won't get Hodges off the hook, the 33 year old will need to convince the judicial panel of his innocence if he's to get the chance to sign off a stellar career in style.
The Storm's Cameron Smith was the last captain to be ruled out of a Premiership decider by suspension, after missing Melbourne's 2012 triumph, while many including Kiwis John Lomax and Issac Luke have felt the agony of being suspended on the eve of a Grand Final.
But it would be an even more bitter pill to swallow for Hodges, robbing him of the chance to end his 16th season with a third Premiership.
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