Junior Paulo has been offered a warning with an early guilty plea for his shoulder charge on Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.
It means the Samoan captain is set to escape suspension ahead of his country’s Rugby League World Cup semi-final against Australia after the judiciary charges from Sunday night’s clash with Tonga were released on Monday morning.
Neither side had come close to scoring through the first 10 minutes and tensions flared when Paulo sought to lay down a marker with Tonga just 10m out from their own line at CommBank Stadium on Sunday.
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He charged off the line and smashed Watene-Zelezniak, sending Tongan players rushing to plead their case for a penalty before both sides came in for a push-and-shove.
Referee Adam Gee had already blown his whistle by the time Tonga’s Haumole Olakau’atu had rushed in and ended up in a grapple with Jazz Tevaga.
Junior Paulo was put on report after a shoulder charge on Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. Credit: 7Sport
“The shoulder is back! It is outlawed and boy oh boy it came from a blind spot for Watene-Zelezniak,” Andrew Voss said in commentary on Channel 7.
Luke Keary described Paulo’s hit as trying to “iron out” the winger.
“He might be in trouble here. Big Junior, he’s just collected him there. What a shot,” he said.
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