Overview
- The Match Review Committee regraded Nicho Hynes' tackle to Dangerous Contact (Grade 1), shifting the penalty from a one-game suspension to a $1,000 fine.
- The NRL cited a subsequent Bulldogs medical report that materially changed the assessment of Marcelo Montoya's injury as the basis for the regrade.
- Hynes is available for Cronulla's elimination final against the Sydney Roosters, with the Sharks expected to take the early guilty plea.
- The initial Grade 2 decision was based on a preliminary diagnosis suggesting a high‑grade syndesmosis, later updated to a low‑grade sprain with Montoya a chance to return.
- The handling has drawn criticism of the system’s reliance on evolving club medicals, while judiciary data shows only 12 of 249 charges were challenged this season with few successful outcomes.