South Sydney hooker Issac Luke’s hopes of playing in the grand final could be at the mercy of the NRL judiciary after being put on report for a dangerous throw on Sydney Roosters forward Sonny Bill Williams.
Luke has 55 carry-over points for previous indiscretions and he faces a nervous wait after being put on report for upending the Roosters’ star and placing his hands between the legs.
The judiciary has been instructed to take a dim view towards lifting tackles this season in the wake of the Alex McKinnon tragedy, however suspensions have been wildly inconsistent.
Losing Luke would serve as a major blow to the rampant Rabbitohs who surged past the Roosters 32-22 on in the preliminary final thanks to the dominance of their go-forward.
Luke’s work out of dummy-half is instrumental to the Rabbitohs’ big-men taking advantage in the middle.
Leading up to the Rabbitohs’ second try on Friday night, Luke took valuable metres close to the line and drew a penalty for the Roosters being offside.
From the very next play, Souths hit the short-side and Alex Johnston was over in the corner for his 20th try in just 17 games.
If Luke was to be suspended, rookie Apisai Koroisau would most likely slot into the No.9 jersey.
Koroisau, bound for Penrith at the end of the season, played 13 matches at the start of year, when Luke was out injured.
He impressed with his strong defence and smart running, but Kiwi international Luke is a hard man to replace.
Williams didn’t hit the ground with any great force and wasn’t injured, but hands between the legs is frowned upon because of how it can accentuate a player moving into a dangerous position.
Manly forward Anthony Watmough copped a one-week suspension at week one of the finals for a dangerous throw with hands between the legs on Souths’ Greg Inglis.