Parramatta firebrand Nathan Brown will on Friday learn his fate over an ugly shoulder charge which frayed tempers during Canterbury’s 12-6 NRL upset over the Eels.
Brown is facing the prospect of a lengthy stint on the sidelines for a brain snap in which he hit Dallin Watene-Zelezniak late during the second half at Bankwest Stadium on Thursday night.
Watene-Zelezniak left the field for six minutes and Dogs coach Dean Pay said he appeared to have suffered an AC joint injury in his shoulder.
The incident proved a flashpoint with Dogs skipper Josh Jackson grabbing the Eels No.13, as he was being spoken to by referee Grant Atkins, and setting off an all-in push-and-shove.
With the NRL vowing to crack down on shoulder charges and late hits, Brown appears likely to land in hot water.
Brown was sin-binned for 10 minutes but he’s facing a significant ban should he be charged by the match review committee.
Under the judiciary code, a grade one shoulder charge carries a base penalty of two games and a grade two a three-game suspension.
Pay said Brown was lucky not to be sent off given Reimis Smith was sin-binned for thrusting his head at Maika Sivo, an incident he said paled in comparison.
“If Reimis got 10 minutes, there’s a big difference in it,” Pay said.
He also suggested that Brown had been rushing out of the line all night attempting to put a shot on his players.
“He was having a go all night, he was consistent,” Pay said.