The Wests Tigers are set to enter their Round 1 stoush with the Storm sans the services of one-fifth of their leadership group after club veteran James Tamou was slapped with a grade-two dangerous contact charge during Friday night's trial clash with the Roosters.
Following his potentially calamitous shot on young Chooks half Sam Walker during the first half of the contest in Gosford, Tamou was offered a one-game ban should he plead guilty to the offence.
If the 33-year-old and Wests deem they are willing to challenge the ruling and fail, the Kiwi-born forward will be asked to sit out the first fortnight of the 2022 NRL season.
Should this become the course of action for the Concord club, Tamou will miss both his side's dates with the Storm and Knights.
While Tamou has not been caught falling foul in similar incidents across the past pair of seasons, the former Cowboy and Panther can still expect to be hit with 180-points if he is willing to accept the judiciary's early ruling.
Despite the grading board's decision to stamp their foot down on dangerous contact charges, Sydney forward Lindsay Collins will be free to lace the boots in Round 1 after only incurring a financial penalty for a cannonball shot on recent import Jackson Hastings.
Although the Great Britain representative was able to continue playing after Collins' 49th-minute shot, many viewing the incident believed that a ban for the 25-year-old Chook was imminent.
However, in yet another perplexing decision that plenty are likely to decry for double standards, the Brisbane-born prop was given the tick of approval to face Newcastle at the SCG on Saturday, March 12 after being handed a $1500 fine.
This sanction has the ability to be whittled down to just $750 should Collins and Sydney submit an early guilty plea.
Collins will also escape the warm-up contest without any points carried over into the season proper.
The rorters once again getting special treatment. The NRL are a pathetic joke.