Judiciary: As it happened live

Check out NRL.com reporter Dan Walsh's detailed rundown of Tuesday night's judiciary hearings as they unfolded.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was cleared of a grade one careless high tackle, Hudson Young was suspended for eight matches for a dangerous contact (eye contact) charge and Kane Evans was suspended for one game after failing to have a careless high tackle charge downgraded.

Full details here

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11.40: That wraps up five-and-a-half hours at the judiciary. Thanks for following our live updates.

11.24: Kane Evans has been unsuccessful having his careless high tackle downgraded and is suspended for Sunday's elimination final against Brisbane.

11.10: Nick Ghabar has concluded his defence, we’ll be breaking to deliberate shortly.

10.48: Nick Ghabar is representing Evans as well, and is arguing that Evans' first contact with Parker is to the Manly centre’s left shoulder, and then up into his head.

10.40: Evans hit is currently being compared to a Waerea-Hargreaves tackle from last year and a Matt Lodge one as well.

10.34: Peter McGrath putting in a decent shift for the NRL tonight as he picks apart the Evans tackle: “It’s a high level of force ... he went for the high risk marginal tackle when there were other options. I suggest [Parker’s] lost consciousness from the high impact and force directly to his head” as footage of Parker’s eyes closing on impact is shown.

10.15pm: The final hearing on a big night for the judiciary will be Kane Evans' attempt to have his high tackle charge downgraded from a grade two to a grade one.

10.10pm: The panel has made a decision. Hudson Young has been suspended for eight matches.

9.48pm: Young's counsel Nick Ghabar is suggesting the top-level ban the judiciary should consider is a nine-game suspension. Based on it not being as serious as George Burgess's offence, Ghabar says a five/six-week ban could be appropriate.

And we're now breaking for the panel to deliberate. Again stating the obvious, Hudson Young looks a shattered man.

9.35pm: NRL counsel is suggesting a penalty range between 10 and 12 games – including loading from his previous charges, depending on whether the panel finds Young's conduct reckless or highly careless.

The NRL counsel's suggestion adds 100% loading for Young's two previous offences. This is discretionary, the judiciary doesn't have to include this.

9.27pm: NRL counsel Peter McGrath: "It was only three months ago that Young accepted an early guilty plea for an offence of almost the exact same nature." 

McGrath argues it points to the need for suspension to act as deterrence to both Young and other players.

George Burgess's nine-week ban has also been mentioned but McGrath says there is not the same level of force in Young's contact on Pompey.

9.18pm: Hudson Young has been found GUILTY of making dangerous contact to the eyes of Adam Pompey.

The panel will now determine sentencing. Stating the obvious - it'll be a lengthy one.

9.18pm: Seems the deliberation is done, with a verdict to be announced shortly...

9pm: That's all for that one, the panel retires to deliver a verdict after a 100-minute hearing.

8.45pm: Judiciary chairman Bellew is telling the panel to consider whether Adam Pompey's evidence is "influenced by a sense of loyalty to another professional footballer" in reference to his view that "what happens on the field should stay on the field".

8.41pm: And that's all our evidence after 64 minutes. Chairman Geoff Bellew is now addressing his panel.

The verdict will now be determined – solely guilty or not guilty. No sentencing or penalties to be considered by the three-man panel at the moment, that will be in the following hearing afterwards if Young is found guilty.

8.38pm: Addressing the footage and still shots of Hudson Young's contact with Adam Pompey's face, Young's counsel Nick Ghabar says "it's a real stretch to make out that Young's fingers are in contact with Pompey's eyes".

Ghabar also pointing out there was no mention of the incident in the referees' report, though the match review committee is free to lay charges from outside this.

"That shows the innocuous nature of the contact that occurred."

8.26pm: Ghabar has started his defence and says for Young to be found guilty, the judiciary would have to "completely reject" both Young and Pompey's accounts.

He is also pointing to the complete lack of reaction from Pompey immediately after the incident. "There's just nothing, not even an involuntary reaction."

"There was minimal if any contact with the facial regions around the eye."

8.19pm: NRL counsel Peter McGrath is now focusing his argument on Young's hand pulling away "in such a manner that indicated he had a grip on the eye socket of Pompey".

"A grip, some pressure and the hand coming away... the way [his fingers] come away. His hand clenched voluntarily – I suggest that is the contact that is dangerous to the eye socket and eye of Pompey."

8.12pm: A quick recap of Hudson Young’s testimony. He says he accidentally made contact with Pompey's face after his grip slipped off Pompey's hand in the tackle. In trying to stop a try, "I was just trying to grab anything. I felt his face and slipped off his face".

Young says he was looking at the ground and had his head turned to brace for contact.

"You can see I just grabbed his hand there, just to try and pull up [and halt Pompey's momentum towards grounding the ball]. I just grabbed a hold. I lost my grip on his hand... when I felt contact with his face (on a second effort) I pulled my hand away as fast as I could."

NRL counsel Peter McGrath asked several ways if he was aware and acting intentionally when making contact to Pompey's eyes. "At no point did I feel his eye socket," says Young.

8.08pm: Warriors winger Adam Pompey says he felt no contact with his eyes, pressure or pain out of the incident. "I didn't feel anything at all."

Asked what he did feel, Pompey says: "I just felt people on me... that's all". He says he didn't feel any contact to his face, anyone grabbing his chin or holding his head up.

Asked if "what happens on the field should stay on the field", Pompey says: "Yep".

8.01pm: Hudson Young under pretty intense cross examination by NRL now. Has been speaking for the past 15 minutes, repeatedly denying any intentional contact with Pompey and his eyes. He has denied that a dozen times when put to him by NRL counsel. 

Adam Pompey is now called to give evidence via video link.

7.50pm: Hudson Young could be facing a very lengthy ban if found guilty tonight, but the player himself is arguing he did not attack the eyes of Warriors winger Adam Pompey with his hands. His coach Ricky Stuart was adamant after Saturday's match that Young "didn't gouge the kid".

7.35pm: And we're underway for Hudson Young. Nick Ghabar into the hot seat. Ghabar will represent both Hudson Young and Kane Evans tonight.

As Young's hearing begins, here is the footage of the incident that emerged during Saturday's clash with the Warriors.

7.15pm: Hudson Young was suspended for five matches earlier this season for another dangerous contact (eye contact) charge, but his Raiders teammates are standing by him ahead of tonight's hearing.

7.10pm: Next up is Canberra's Hudson Young fighting his dangerous contact charge.

7.06pm: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has been found not guilty and is free to play.

6.52pm: And we're out after a 50-minute hearing. The judiciary is now retiring to deliberate.

6.35pm: Waerea-Hargreaves's counsel James McLeod: "What more could Waerea-Hargreaves have reasonably done in the circumstances?"

NRL counsel Peter McGrath argues that Waerea-Hargreaves did not give himself a chance to react to Knight's change in direction and the sudden drop of his head, because Waerea-Hargreaves had turned his own head to brace for the tackle, therefore not playing with the necessary duty of care needed.

McLeod says Waerea-Hargreaves turning of his own head was a "natural and instinctive reaction" to the contact from Knight's hand.

6.30pm: Waerea-Hargreaves and his defence James McLeod are arguing his contact on Knight was unavoidable, and that Waerea-Hargreaves "softened" his right arm before contact in a bid to make a "catching" tackle.

6.25pm: Waerea-Hargreaves's key defence is around Liam Knight's left arm striking him in the face as he was falling (see the full incident below).

"I was hoping Liam Knight was going to fall into my chest. But as soon as I flinched [as a result of the contact my face], it opened me up to where he fell on my bicep," he says.

"It was a swinging arm [to my face]. I think if anyone is dealt with the same situation they're going to flinch. He clipped me across the chin."

NRL counsel Peter McGrath has suggested Waerea-Hargreaves braced for contact in his tackle rather than reacted by flinching, to which Waerea-Hargreaves says 'no not at all".

6.15pm: Waerea-Hargreaves currently giving evidence and being cross-examined by NRL counsel Peter McGrath.

6.05pm: James McLeod is acting for Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, having helped him beat his last charge of dangerous contact on Josh McGuire.

6pm: Waerea-Hargreaves's hearing is about to begin, where he will be pleading not guilty to the charge arising from this incident.

5.55pm: The three-man judiciary panel tonight is Mal Cochrane, Dallas Johnston and Tony Puletua.

Nick Ghabar will represent both Hudson Young and Kane Evans.

5.45pm: Tonight's run sheet is as follows:
6pm – Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
7.30pm – Hudson Young
9pm – Kane Evans

NRL.com understands that the Raiders asked the Roosters if the order – which is determined by the order in which offences occur over the weekend – could be changed so Young could begin travelling back to Canberra earlier.

The Roosters though knocked back the request, putting Waerea-Hargreaves' preparation for a potential run on Friday first.