North Queensland Cowboys and State of Origin centre Valentine Holmes has been unsuccessful in his bid to downgrade a high tackle charge at the NRL judiciary.
The centre will now spend four weeks on the sideline, which is the remainder of the regular season for the Cowboys given they have a bye spread amongst their final five rounds.
Holmes was cited for a high shot which saw him sin binned during Sunday's loss to the Gold Coast Titans, with the tackle on Jayden Campbell leaving some to ask whether it in fact should have been a send off.
The tackle saw a verdict delivered by judiciary members Tony Puletua and Paul Simpkins after just 15 minutes of deliberation in what was a short case compared to some of those experienced this season.
In the defence prosecutions, Holmes' lawyer expressed that the contact between Holmes and Campbell was low force rather than moderate, which would have slipped the charge into Grade 1.
The judiciary didn't agree though, rather, agreeing with the NRL counsel who when challenged over a previous tackle made by Maika Sivo, suggested they were similar and both should be Grade 2.
The four-week ban means the representative centre will miss games in Round 23, 25, 26 and 27 against the Brisbane Broncos, Cronulla Sharks, Dolphins and Penrith Panthers, with Todd Payten's side having the bye in Round 24.
The Cowboys likely need to win at least two, if not three of their final four games to make the finals, despite currently sitting in eighth spot on the ladder.
Holmes was named in the Cowboys' Round 23 side to take on the Broncos earlier on Tuesday but will now likely be replaced by either Brendan Elliott or Kyle Feldt. If Feldt plays, Semi Valemei will likely move into the centres.
On a bumper night at Moore Park, the judiciary also upheld a Jack de Belin Grade 2 dangerous contact charge, meaning he will also miss four weeks of action and return for the Dragons' final game of the season in Round 27 against the Newcastle Knights.
