The four-game ban likely to rule Melbourne Storm linchpin Nelson Asofa Solomona out of this weekend's NRL Grand Final has been labelled "a joke" by former Kiwis coach Frank Endacott.
The towering Storm front-rower left Sydney Roosters forward Lindsay Collins dazed after a high tackle in the opening set of their NRL preliminary final win on Saturday that saw him sent to the bin.
The judiciary later slapped the 28-year-old with a four-game suspension that will scratch him from Sunday's mouthwatering showdown with the Penrith Panthers, as well as prevent him taking the field for the Kiwis in the Pacific Championships series.
The Storm will appeal the charge on Tuesday, seeking a miraculous double-downgrade of the charge to have him available to play against the Panthers. If they're unsuccessful, it will extend to a five-match ban.
Endacott - former head coach with the Warriors and New Zealand - believes the suspension is far from justified, with no malice whatsoever involved in the tackle.
"I don't think for a second that it warranted four weeks," he told SENZ Mornings.
"What we've got to take into account here is the size of this bloke. I presented a Kiwis jersey to him at a Test match a few years ago and I'll tell you what, he's the biggest man I've ever stood beside. I felt like a dwarf. For him to bend down and make low tackles on those guys is just about impossible.
"When you look at the actual tackle, he didn't go in with any intent to knock him out. It's just the way the game is. It's a collision game.
"He got it wrong, but not a four-week wrong."
One of the veterans of the side and a renowned enforcer, Asfoa-Solomona's absence would not only be a huge blow for the Victorian team, but the occasion itself, Endacott adds.
He hopes NRL boss Peter V'Landys delays any suspension until next season, a move which has precedent. In 2023, the Panthers' Tyrone May had his ban pushed back to the following year to allow him to feature in the NRL Finals series.
"Once you make a precedent, you've got to continue with it. I think it would be fantastic for the grand final and for Nelson himself. Personally, I hope he does it, because I'd. I don't agree with the four week stand down, I think it's a joke.
"We need to see the best players in the final. If he's not in the final, it's going to rob us of something.
"I think he's gone for the final and that's the fear factor gone also for Melbourne."
Listen to the full interview below: