Corey Waddell has been handed a five-match ban following his eye-gouging incident with Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
The Bulldogs forward was referred directly to the NRL judiciary over the offence in Sunday's match against the Titans.
After over an hour of evidence and further deliberation on Tuesday night, the judiciary determined Waddell to have acted "recklessly".
The 25-year-old will now be out of action until the final match of the regular season with a five-match suspension, despite Waddell’s representative calling for a two-game ban.
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The NRL judiciary - comprising Dallas Johnson and Bob Lindner and chaired by Justice Geoffrey Bellew - was of unanimous agreement.
“The panel was mindful of dangerous contact with the eye and the risk of serious injury that is associated with contact of that kind,” Bellew said.
“In relation to the penalty, the panel was mindful of the conclusion that was reached that the player acted recklessly and also that the player’s past judiciary record did not assist him.”
Waddell was fervent in his defence, claiming he only accidentally touched the forehead and bridge of Fa'asuamaleaui's nose.
“I got into the tackle any way I could and I found myself in what we call the 'seatbelt' tackling position,” Waddell said.
“I try and straighten the ball carrier so he gives up his base and loses control.
“I put my hand over Max [King's] head and I found my hand on Tino [Fa'asuamaleaui's] forehead.
"I didn’t apply any pressure to his face at all and then I tried to push my hips into his hips to push him back.
“With my right hand I tried to grab his jersey and shoulder. My purpose was to get him onto his back with my teammates falling on top of him.
“As I went over Max [King's] head, I grabbed Tino [Fa'asuamaleaui's] forehead. At no stage do I apply any unnecessary or careless pressure to his face.
“As you can see, as he starts to fall to the ground I release my hand. And then he grabbed my hand as he fell to the ground. At no stage were my fingers in or around his eyes.”
Fa'asuamaleaui's absence from the hearing was also questioned by Waddell's legal counsel.
Notably, the Titans captain brushed away claims of an eye gouge after the match on Sunday.
"It's just footy," Fa'asuamaleaui said.
"You know, sometimes your hand goes somewhere where you don't know where it is.
"And I guess it just happened to be on my forehead and sort of hit my eye ... just accidental."
