Asofa-Solomona set to miss Grand Final after high shot on Collins
Yesterday at 09:32 PM
The Melbourne Storm are set to be without one of their most important players for the 2024 NRL Grand Final with Nelson Asofa-Solomona facing a four to five-match suspension – after his high shot on Lindsay Collins.
The Kiwi international has been hit with a Grade three careless high tackle charge by the NRL match review committee and will need to fight to drop his charge down two grades if he has any chance to play next week.
Melbourne punched their ticket to this year's decider with a convincing 48-18 win over the Sydney Roosters on Friday night but the main talking point from the game came in the opening seconds.
Similar to the Roosters' elimination final the week prior, a high shot during the first hit-up threatened to derail the competitiveness of the game, as Asofa-Solomona caught Collins in the jaw with his shoulder.
NELSON INTO THE SIN BIN
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) September 27, 2024
SECONDS INTO THE PRELIM 😮
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The Storm enforcer was sent to the sin bin but the Roosters were unable to convert on the extra man advantage, scoring a lone try during the ten-minute period.
The decision has divided many in the NRL community including SEN's Greg Alexander and Corey Parker, as the Broncos legend was left stunned due to the circumstances of the tackle.
"I don't know where else he can go," Parker said on Fox League.
"You can't go low there, you just can't when one person is going as fast as they can into the defensive line you cannot go low, particularly when there is three players converging on one.
"I don't understand where he can go."
Meanwhile, Alexander expressed his concern about the future of the kick-off in the NRL and how incidents like this are examples of how dangerous it can be for both sides.
"The fact is he hit him in the head," Alexander said.
"I agree with you and we had this situation last week with Manly and the Roosters where Tolu Koula got his head in the wrong spot.
"I think a whole lot of thought needs to go into the kick-off, it's dangerous, but it is as dangerous for the attackers as it is for the defenders.
"Nelson standing upright just comes into the tackle, but he hits him in the head.
"He plays the ball backwards, so a category one for Lindsay Collins and gone for the game.
"Nelson is fortunate he is not gone for the game."
