Cameron Smith lashes out as NRL makes huge move for Nelson Asofa-Solomona judiciary hearing

Melbourne Storm champion Cameron Smith has questioned the grading of Nelson Asofa-Solomona's hit on Lindsay Collins, which has seen him hit with a four-game ban and rubbed out of the NRL grand final. The Storm revealed on Monday they'll take the case to the judiciary, which has been expedited to a Monday night hearing.

It's believed the Storm will argue for a downgrade after Asofa-Solomona was hit with a grade 3 charge. And Smith believes the grading was incredibly harsh.

Speaking on SEN radio on Monday morning, the former Storm captain said: "I was happy with the sin binning (but) I was surprised with the grading." Smith suggested the charge was harsher because Collins was ruled out for the remainder of the game, as opposed to if the Roosters forward played on.

"It's not like he tried to take his head off," Smith said. "The only intent he had was to be physical in the opening carry of the game. He's pretty much standing upright and throws himself into the tackle with an open chest. It wasn't a swinging arm."

On the same segment, Andrew Voss questioned why it wasn't a send-off if it was so bad to be a grade 3. "If it's a grade 3 and it warrants four weeks, how is it not a send off?" Voss asked. "I think the charge is too much. Even if there's a downgrade (to grade 2), he will still miss a grand final. It's over the top."

The Storm would need to get the charge down to a grade 1 for Asofa-Solomona to be allowed to play the grand final. Even a grade 2 would see the Kiwi enforcer suspended.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona cops truth bomb from Jason Demetriou

However former Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou insists Asofa-Solomona should miss the grand final. The 28-year-old will fly to Sydney and face an expedited judiciary hearing on Monday evening in a bid to play in Sunday's grand final against Penrith. The Storm enforcer will plead guilty to the high tackle, but push for a double downgrade, which would see him receive a $3,000 fine but would allow him to play in the grand final.

But Demetriou believes the Storm forward shouldn't get off just because a grand final is at stake. "You do the crime, you do the time," Demetriou said on Triple M radio on Sunday. Storm coach Craig Bellamy had previously gone in to bat for his enforcer, stating there wasn't "a whole heap in it".

"You'd hate to see him miss a big game," Bellamy said after Melbourne's 48-18 win. "I didn't think it was a sin bin. Penalty, I thought it was fair enough, but that's just me. I've seen it live and seen one replay, and that was my impression ... I didn't think there was a whole lot in it."

Roosters players defend Nelson Asofa-Solomona

And that was a belief also held by Collins' Roosters teammates who said they hoped Asofa-Solomona isn't rubbed out for the grand final. "I hope (he's) not (banned), I truly do," Jared Waerea-Hargreaves said after the match. "It's why we play, it's such a physical game. You play that thing in the middle, we're just out there trying to do our best. They are small margins we talk about. I really hope it doesn't cost Nelson a grand final."

While Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary said Asoda-Solomona needed to take more care in his tackling technique but also hopes he doesn't miss the big dance. "We said in there, we don't want to see him miss a grand final," Keary said. "With those kick-offs, you're running like that, the onus is on the defender to not hit this one guy running at full pace (in the head). We don't want to see (the kick-off) banned because it is this gladiatorial sport.

"There is one guy running, he's not moving (sideways). You just cannot hit him in the head. They're not ducking at the last second, this isn't like a fullback stepping. We've seen it on our end too, we've had blokes hit people high. It's got to be on the defender." And following the four-game ban being handed down the majority of the NRL world were outraged at the suspension.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona pushes for double downgrade

Melbourne successfully requested to move the hearing forward to Monday, rather than the usual Tuesday night scheduling for the judiciary. Interstate players often appear via video link, but such is the importance of Asofa-Solomona's case, he will rush to Sydney for the hearing before returning home.

The Storm have previously had success in similar circumstances, with Billy Slater avoiding a ban for a shoulder charge in the 2018 grand final week. But to get Asofa-Solomona off will undoubtedly be a harder challenge given the fact no player this season has sought a downgrade from a grade three to grade one charge.

Many have tried to argue that Asofa-Solomona’s tackle was an accident and that his height (6'6) was partly to blame for the outcome of the tackle. However, with the NRL's tough stance on high contact in 2024 it would appear to be a long shot that he gets the charge downgraded to a grade-one.

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Even if he doesn't successfully get the charge downgraded, Asofa-Solomona will be far from the first big-name player to miss a grand final through suspension. Smith also missed a grand final for Melbourne in 2008 after being handed a ban, while Issac Luke, Carl Webb and Luke Ricketson are among others to have been rubbed out of deciders.

Should he miss the grand final, Asofa-Solomona would leave a huge hole in a Storm forward pack that lacks the punch of Penrith's. And either Joe Chan or Lazarus Vaalepu would likely earn a spot on the Melbourne bench for Sunday's NRL grand final against the Panthers.

with AAP