Cronulla centre Ben Pomeroy will miss Sunday’s elimination final against Canberra after being handed a two match suspension by the NRL judiciary on Wednesday night for his shoulder charge on North Queensland star Johnathan Thurston.
Pomeroy faced a dangerous contact charge for his tackle late in last Sunday’s 36-22 loss to the Cowboys which left Thurston dazed.
The Sharks centre was the first player tried under strict new guidelines regarding the shoulder charge introduced last week by the ARL Commission.
Players are now sent straight to the judiciary without being graded as part of the Commission’s crack down on players who make high contact with a shoulder charge.
Pomeroy’s place in the Sharks’ line-up is expected to be taken by youngster Ricky Leutele for the clash in Canberra.