Penrith Panthers and New Zealand international Scott Sorensen has suffered a further setback after failing to have his grade two shoulder charge downgraded at the NRL Judiciary.
As confirmed in a statement from the Panthers on Tuesday night, Sorensen will now serve a three-game suspension for his tackle on Manly’s Nathan Brown during their Round 8 clash.
The incident took place in the 33rd minute when Brown charged full speed from a kick restart, colliding with Sorensen, who attempted to stop him with a shoulder-led tackle. The forceful hit floored Brown, prompting referee Belinda Sharpe to penalise Sorensen and send him to the sin bin.
Despite this being Sorensen’s first offence in 12 months, the NRL’s judiciary currently enforces strict penalties for shoulder charges. Had Sorensen accepted the initial charge, he would have faced a two-game ban under an early guilty plea. However, he opted to contest the grading, aiming for a downgrade that would reduce the punishment to a fine rather than a suspension—especially in light of recent criticism over excessive sin-binning.
In a hearing that lasted under 90 minutes, the judiciary upheld the grade two charge, increasing Sorensen’s ban to three matches. He will now miss key fixtures against the Broncos (Magic Round), Cowboys, and Knights, with a return expected in Round 13 against the Eels.
The shoulder charge was among several flashpoints in an intense first half at CommBank Stadium. Earlier in the match, Penrith’s Dylan Edwards was placed on report for tripping Manly’s Tommy Talau, later accepting a $750 fine for the offence.
Fox League’s Andrew Voss stirred debate by calling Sorensen’s hit a thrilling moment, echoed by league great Kevin Walters who remarked, “That’s what the fans come to see.” However, Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga felt the punishment was justified, saying Sorensen “got it wrong.”
Rugby league legend Andrew Johns, however, lashed out at the ruling, questioning what else Sorensen could have done to stop a 100kg forward charging at full speed. On Channel Nine’s Sunday Footy Show, Johns argued that making a textbook tackle in such a scenario risks serious injury to the defender.
“They say tackle low, but if Sorensen does that, he’s likely to knock himself out,” Johns said. “Wrap his arms? He’ll blow out his shoulders. The NRL needs to clarify what they expect defenders to do in these high-impact situations.”
With Sorensen suspended, the Panthers will have to battle on without their seasoned forward, a major blow as they try to recover from a sluggish start to the season that has left the defending champions at the bottom of the ladder.
