For the past six weeks he’s been arguably the best—and most controversial—player in the competition.
But Storm captain Harry Grant looks set for a pre-finals stint on the sidelines following a shoulder charge in the 20-14 victory over the Bulldogs.
The incident happened early in the second half as Grant attempted to tackle hard-running Bulldogs forward Harry Hayes from a kick off return.
Initially missed by on-field officials, Grant was called out by referee Adam Gee following intervention from the bunker.
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“No intent to wrap, shoulder charge, contact to the head,” Gee said as he placed Grant on report while also sending him to the sin bin.
“You can’t argue, they’re the rules,” Andrew Johns said in commentary for Channel Nine.
Following the match Storm coach Craig Bellamy unsurprisingly sought to downplay the moment, suggesting a penalty would have been sufficient punishment.
“Obviously it wasn’t what we wanted, but in my opinion I’m not quite sure it deserved a sin bin, I thought a sin bin was harsh,” Bellamy said.
The Storm now awaits the release of the NRL Match Review Committee charge sheet later today with Grant’s fate for Round 26, and potentially beyond, resting with the grading handed down.
Based on current NRL judiciary guidelines for shoulder charges, a Grade 1 charge would result in a fine only, while Grade 2 would elevate the offence to a two-game suspension with an early guilty plea.
Should Grant be rubbed out, it actually comes at a good time for the club with the Storm essentially guaranteed of a top-two spot regardless of results in the final two rounds, thanks to a +144 points difference edge over the Bulldogs.