Newcastle Knights forward Kai Pearce-Paul has been slapped with a Grade 2 shoulder charge by the NRL's match review committee and is facing time on the sidelines.
The English forward was sin binned for the shoulder charge which came late in the Knights' win over the Dolphins on opposition forward Daniel Saifiti.
Clear shoulder to jaw contact was made, and Pearce-Paul, with it being the first offence on his record, now faces a two-match ban with an early guilty plea.
He could also risk a third match by heading to the NRL judiciary on Tuesday evening.
Pearce-Paul's ten minutes in the sin bin saw no change to the score, with the Knights already leading by the final scoreline of 26 points to 12 at that stage of the contest.
The Knights clash with the Gold Coast Titans away from home in Round 3, before having the bye in Round 4. Pearce-Paul will also miss the Round 5 game against the Canterbury Bulldogs, while the Round 6 clash against the Wests Tigers is the one he will risk if he heads to the judiciary.
Pearce-Paul was the only player charged during the clash, with Dolphins centre Herbie Farnworth avoiding a charge despite being put on report during the 22nd minute of the game.
The English international second-rower needs to make a call on whether he will accept the early guilty plea or head to the NRL judiciary by midday (AEDT) on Saturday, with any potential hearings to follow on Tuesday evening.
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