Canterbury winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is staring down the barrel of a two-game NRL ban for his high shot on former teammate Nathan Cleary.
Watene-Zelezniak was one of two wingers charged on Sunday, with North Queensland’s Kyle Feldt also facing at least two games out for a dangerous tackle.
Canterbury flyer Watene-Zelezniak was sin-binned in Saturday’s 28-0 loss to Penrith, for a head-high tackle on Cleary that ended the Panthers’ halfback’s game early.
Cleary has since passed a HIA and is expected to be fit to play in Thursday’s grand final rematch against Melbourne.
But Watene-Zelezniak is unlikely to return so soon after the grade-two careless tackle charge was levelled against him.
The New Zealand Test captain will miss two weeks with an early guilty plea, while the suspension will go into a third week if he challenges it at the judiciary and loses.
Meanwhile, Feldt was handed a grade-two charge for a dangerous throw, after upending St George Illawarra centre Jack Bird in the Cowboy’s 25-18 defeat.
Feldt can take a two-game ban with an early guilty plea but if he fights the charge and loses it will result in three games on the sidelines.