If Riley Walsh files an appeal for a grade one shoulder charge offense following his effort on Daniel Tupou during the Roosters victory, he could be subject to a two-match suspension. Walsh faces a $3,000 punishment from the match review committee if he takes the early guilty plea, but he faces a two-match suspension if he files an appeal and is found guilty by the justice panel. After sprinting to the wing to prevent Tupou from scoring, Walsh was penalized for the shot in the game’s 45th minute.
When asked if there would be punishment after watching the tape, rugby league legend Andrew Johns first said “no way” on Nine’s coverage. Billy Slater, who made headlines in 2018 when he was exonerated of a grade one shoulder charge and spared from the grand final, expressed doubts about Walsh’s impending sentence. “I’m not sure. The match review committee’s perspective is what matters, not ours. I have no idea how you manage these things these days. I’ve been in that situation before,” he remarked, going on to say that it’s “the safest” way to make touch in that circumstance.
