Sydney Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has been suspended for two NRL games after being found guilty of dangerous contact.
Waerea-Hargreaves was fighting a grade-one charge for his shot that connected with the head of Newcastle star Kalyn Ponga on May 24.
The three-member NRL judicial panel took 35 minutes to find Waerea-Hargreaves guilty during a hearing that spanned almost two hours on Tuesday night.
Waerea-Hargreaves was disappointed by the outcome.
"I obviously thought we had a fair case and I've obviously come in here with high hopes, but it wasn't our night," he said.
Asked whether it was getting harder to put pressure on kickers, he said: "No, it's not. It's got to be in the context of the game. I'll learn from this and move on."
NRL prosecutor Peter McGrath argued the tackle was not only late and avoidable, but that Waerea-Hargreaves made the second effort of leaving his feet and driving all of his 114 kilograms in weight into the head of a vulnerable Ponga.
"There's no cradling, the left shoulder area of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves driving into the head of Ponga, and he's left his feet, so the full weight comes to bear. That's where the carelessness and dangerousness comes in," McGrath said.
Defence counsel James McLeod responded by saying that while the shot may have been marginally late, the contact with Ponga's head was only incidental.
He also pointed out the incident, which was in full view of the pocket referee, went unpunished by the on-field officials and NRL bunker.
Waerea-Hargreaves denied the shot was late and believed he had every right to complete the tackle given he had committed to getting Ponga to ground.
"I honestly think I could've gone in a different angle but I had come in to make a legitimate tackle. I believe I hit him fairly," Waerea-Hargreaves said.
"I don't believe he was in a vulnerable position. It's my duty to tackle him with care and I done that."
Prior offences and 85 carryover points increased his ban to two games, ruling him out of matches against Penrith and Canterbury.
