Panthers to fight the NRL judiciary amid crackdown
Penrith will fight the NRL's crackdown on illegal shots at the judiciary, hoping to help save their ailing season by wiping Scott Sorensen's two-game suspension.
Sorensen went to the sin bin for his shoulder charge on rampaging Manly forward Nathan Brown late in the first half of the round-eight loss that sent Penrith to the bottom of the ladder.
The second-rower was one of 18 players sin-binned on the weekend as the NRL took its tough stance on illegal contact to unprecedented heights.
On Sunday morning, the match review committee cited Sorensen for a grade-two shoulder charge, which carries a two-game ban with an early guilty plea.
But the New Zealand international is seeking a downgrade to a grade-one shoulder charge, for which he would only receive a $1500 fine.
If unsuccessful at his hearing on Tuesday night, Sorensen would miss games against Brisbane at Magic Round, North Queensland and Newcastle.
The four-time reigning premiers' season could be beyond salvaging by the time he returns. If they lose their next three games, the Panthers would have a 2-9 record.
If Sorensen is unavailable, Luke Garner appears the leading candidate to start on the left edge, provided he recovers from the concussion that sidelined him from the loss to Manly.
Elsewhere, none of the three players sin-binned for dangerous tackles in Sunday's games received suspensions from the match review committee on Monday morning.
Wests Tigers prop Fonua Pole, Cronulla second-rower Briton Nikora and Dolphins playmaker Kodi Nikorima can all accept fines for their grade-one offences.
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