Penrith to challenge Scott Sorensen’s suspension at judiciary
Penrith will contest the NRL’s crackdown on illegal hits at the judiciary in an attempt to overturn Scott Sorensen’s two-match suspension and keep their season alive.
Sorensen was sin-binned for a shoulder charge on Manly’s Nathan Brown late in the first half of Penrith’s round-eight defeat, which dropped them to the bottom of the NRL ladder. His dismissal was one of 18 sin-binnings over the weekend as the league enforced a much stricter stance on illegal contact.
The NRL match review committee charged Sorensen with a grade-two shoulder charge, resulting in a two-game suspension with an early guilty plea. However, the New Zealand international will fight for a downgrade to a grade-one charge, which would instead carry a $1500 fine.
Should he lose his appeal on Tuesday night, Sorensen would miss crucial games against Brisbane at Magic Round, North Queensland, and Newcastle.
Meanwhile, the Broncos are monitoring Adam Reynolds’ fitness after the star halfback aggravated a shoulder injury in last week’s win over Canterbury. Despite battling a staph infection and a dizzy spell earlier that day, Reynolds led Brisbane to a 42-18 victory, scoring a try and setting up three others before leaving the field late after further damaging his shoulder.
“It’s pretty sore. It went dead when I scored and then got worse after that second knock,” Reynolds said after the match.
In better news for Penrith, teammates Dylan Edwards ($750 fine for tripping) and Casey McLean ($100-$1500 fine for a high tackle) avoided suspension. Co-captain Isaah Yeo was also cleared of further action despite being placed on report for a hit on Tom Trbojevic.
Across the league, the Bulldogs were hit hard following their loss to Brisbane. Matt Burton faces a one- or two-game ban for a careless high tackle, while Josh Curran was handed a four-game suspension (reducible to three) for a shoulder charge. Sitili Tupouniua received the harshest penalties — two separate bans totaling up to seven matches for a shoulder charge and a high knee on Brisbane’s Piakura, though early pleas could reduce his time out to five games.
Elsewhere, Titans’ Jaimin Jolliffe faces a 2-3 week ban for a careless high tackle, and teammate Brock Gray can avoid suspension by accepting a $3000 fine.
South Sydney’s Latrell Mitchell was also suspended, earning a two-match ban (reduced to one with an early guilty plea) for a high shot that led to his sin-binning against Melbourne Storm on Anzac Day.
However, Wests Tigers’ Fonua Pole, Cronulla’s Briton Nikora, and Dolphins’ Kodi Nikorima, all sin-binned for dangerous tackles on Sunday, avoided suspension and can accept fines for their grade-one offences.
