Reece Walsh is breathing a sigh of relief but the Broncos are facing a difficult decision on Pat Carrigan after the skipper was hit with finals-shaping sanctions following the fiery win over Canberra on Sunday.
Ben Hunt’s golden-point field goal sealed an epic 29-28 victory over the minor premiers to secure a home preliminary final for Brisbane, but the fallout centred almost entirely on Walsh.
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The No.1 was sent to the sin bin for a headbutt on Hudson Young before he returned to produce one of the greatest seven-minute stretches in finals history.
Carrigan was also sin-binned for a shoulder charge on Morgan Smithies.
The NRL on Monday laid four charges from the match.
Walsh was hit with a grade-one striking charge for his headbutt and can escape with a $3000 fine.
He was also fined $1800 for flipping the bird at Canberra fans.
Carrigan was slapped with a grade-two charge for his careless high tackle and can accept a one-match ban, ruling him out of the preliminary final against Canterbury or Penrith.
The ruling leaves Brisbane with a tough call to make.
While losing Carrigan for a blockbuster preliminary final is a huge blow, he would miss a possible grand final if the Broncos opt to challenge the suspension at the judiciary but fail to succeed.
“Going to the sin bin is not ideal, but I thought I had a head clash with him,” Carrigan said of the incident.
“He’s got a tough head. I felt my jaw and bit my lip.”
Canberra’s Zac Hosking copped a $1000 fine for grade-one dangerous contact against Walsh.
The NRL’s decision not to ban Walsh is likely to anger the Raiders, whose coach Ricky Stuart declared a precedent had been set when the fullback was not sent off.
“You’re allowed to headbutt,” he said after the defeat.
“If Joe (Tapine) or Hudson had used their head on Reece Walsh, what do you think would have happened to them?
“They got it 100 per cent wrong, but we shouldn’t make it about that because it (the match) was an unbelievable promotion of the game itself.”
Walsh’s fine for the headbutt is a downgrade from when he copped a grade-two striking charge for a headbutt in the 2023 State of Origin series but in line with a grade-one charge laid on Smithies for a headbutt in a game earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Brisbane are hopeful that Payne Haas’s left ankle issue is not serious.
But there are real concerns over second-rower Brendan Piakura, with fears he suffered a depressed cheekbone in the first half of Sunday’s match.
While the Broncos get a fortnight to prepare for their home preliminary final Canberra will return to the field on Saturday.
The Raiders will host Cronulla, with the winner moving on to face Melbourne in the other preliminary final.
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