NRL Judiciary Round 24: Jacob Preston cops two-game suspension, Ray Stone also banned

Joshua Mayne

Liam O'Loughlin

NRL Judiciary Round 24: Jacob Preston cops two-game suspension, Ray Stone also banned image

Five players were charged by the NRL's judiciary following Saturday's slate of games, with a Rabbitohs duo avoiding suspension.

On Friday night, recently re-signed Titans backrower David Fifita was cited following his side's loss to the Sharks.

Following Sunday's fixtures, Jacob Preston is facing at least two games on the sidelines, while Raiders veteran Jordan Rapana escaped suspension. 

The Sporting News has all the latest from the NRL match review committee below. 

Jacob Preston facing two-game suspension for hip drop

Bulldogs back-rower Jacob Preston will miss at least two games for a hip drop on Jackson Hastings following the side's Round 24 loss to Newcastle.

The rookie forward was sin-binned for the tackle, which left Hastings with an injured ankle, and will spend a fortnight on the sidelines with an early guilty plea after being hit with a grade three dangerous contact charge. 

If the club opts to fight the charge and lose, Preston will miss the final three games of the season. 

Ray Stone banned for two matches

Dolphins enforcer Ray Stone will miss the next two matches after pleading no contest to a grade one high tackle charge. 

The lock was sin-binned for his high shot on Drew Hutchison but was originally only issued with a $3,000 fine.

However, Stone has opted to waive the monetary penalty and instead sit out the next two matches with an injury-enforced absence likely contributing to the decision. 

"This is a rarity. A Dolphin in the bin."

Ray Stone gets sent to the sin bin for high contact.

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Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett questioned the decision post-match.

"The tackle Ray was in he got hit below, he was coming in to tackle and he just dropped his height," he said.

"That’s one of those things that happens in the game and you put it on report and go from there… but I think it was way over the top."

Raiders fullback Jordan Rapana escapes suspension 

Canberra veteran Jordan Rapana has escaped suspension for a trip on Reimis Smith, but will cop a $3000 fine for the incident in Sunday's loss to the Storm.

The 33-year-old has been hit with a grade one dangerous contact charge but won't miss any game time with an early guilty plea. If the club fights the charge and loses, Rapana will miss two matches.

Raiders teammate Matt Timoko was also charged following the match, but will only be fined $750 for a grade one careless high tackle. 

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak charged with dangerous contact

Warriors winger Watene-Zelezniak has avoided a ban following his hit on Tigers' forward John Bateman. He will instead be fined $1,000. 

Wests second-rower Alex Seyfarth was also cited by the judiciary for a high tackle on Watene-Zelezniak, and will need to cough up $750. 

Rabbitohs duo fined by judiciary

Damien Cook and Lachlan Ilias have dodged suspensions following the Rabbitohs' win over the Dragons.

Cook was charged with a dangerous throw on Blake Lawrie but will only be fined $750. Ilias, meanwhile, will need to pay $1,000 for his trip on Mathew Feagai.

David Fifita can escape with fine over shoulder charge

Fifita was cited for a shoulder charge on Braden Hamlin-Uele in the second half of Gold Coast's 36-6 loss to Cronulla on Friday night.

The incident was assessed as a grade 1 charge and is Fifita's second offence, meaning he has escaped with a $3,000 fine. 

Wiremu Greig fined over Keenan Palasia slam

Eels forward Wiremu Greig will be $1,000 lighter in the pocket after he took the early guilty plea over an incident with Broncos counterpart Keenan Palasia early in the second half of Parramatta's heavy defeat at the Gabba.

Greig was charged with grade one dangerous contact over the matter.

Sea Eagles rookie Dean Matterson escapes ban for high tackle

Manly forward Dean Matterson has escaped suspension for a high shot during Thursday's loss to Penrith.

The 25-year-old was hit with a grade one careless high tackle charge on opposing back-rower Liam Martin, but has escaped with a $1000 fine with an early guilty plea.

Joshua Mayne

Joshua Mayne Photo

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News Australia based in Sydney, Australia. He has previously worked as a newsreader at 2SER and journalist at Ministry of Sport. While Joshua’s main passions are football, rugby league, basketball and F1, he will watch any sport that's on. He is still waiting for Arsenal to win the Premier League again. 

 

Liam O'Loughlin

Liam O'Loughlin Photo

Liam has been with The Sporting News since 2019, helping lead both NRL and cricket content, as well as delving into the world of combat sports and NFL. A true rugby league tragic, he has spent the past 20 years playing, coaching and volunteering for his beloved junior club, Penshurst RSL. 

Away from work, Liam has a lifelong passion for all things pro wrestling and has travelled abroad to attend showcase events for WWE, AEW and NJPW.