NRL Match Review Committee coordinator Michael Buettner has explained the reasoning behind the five-game suspension of Newcastle forward Tariq Sims.
Sims was charged with a grade two shoulder charge on Penrith hooker James Segeyaro in Round 26. The base penalty for that charge is 350 points, but Sims had one prior similar offence in the past two years and two non-similar offences in the past two years, plus 50 carryover points.
With an early guilty plea, Sims' final points tally was 548, meaning he will miss the first five matches of the 2016 NRL Telstra Premiership, and have 48 carryover points.
"The arm tucked into the side, and the lower arm across the front of the body making forceful contact. There is some whiplash motion and contact with the head. That was elevated to a grade two," Buettner said of Sims' shoulder charge.
Three other players were charged from the same match for running into a melee.
"Josh Mansour came from all the way on the left-hand side of the field to get involved. Tupou Sopoaga and Siona Mata'utia also came in and escalated it into something it didn't need to be, and therefore we hit them with grade one contrary conduct," Buettner said.
Watch the full Match Review video
Watch the Referee Review for Round 26
