North Queensland Cowboys second-rower Jeremiah Nanai has been hit with a Grade 3 dangerous contact charge for a hip drop tackle on Cronulla Sharks' prop Braden Hamlin-Uele during Thursday night's horror loss.

The charge, handed out by the NRL's match review committee on Friday morning, will see Nanai be suspended for four matches with an early guilty plea, or five if he heads to the judiciary and loses the challenge.

The penalty is so severe because Nanai has reached a third and subsequent offence on his rolling 12-mont judiciary record.

Nanai, who struggled to get involved against the Sharks and defended equally poorly, has made a slow start to the season, but it's news the three and six Cowboys can ill-afford, with the club to face the Sydney Roosters at magic round next weekend.

With an early guilty plea, Nanai will also miss games against the St George Illawarra Dragons, Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels, while the game he would risk with a challenge at the judiciary comes in Round 14 against the Melbourne Storm.

Four weeks will also rule Nanai out of State of Origin game 1.

The tackle, which came inside the final ten minutes of the game against the Sharks, saw Nanai sent to the sin bin by referee Gerard Sutton on advice of Adam Gee in the bunker and Hamlin-Uele leave the field with what is suspected to be a medial injury of his knee.

It's believed Hamlin-Uele could be looking at a number of weeks on the sideline as a result of the tackle, although scans will be needed to confirm the extent of the damage.

Nanai's charge is joined by charges to Coen Hess and Scott Drinkwater, however, the duo escape with fines.

Hess was handed a Grade 1 tripping charge for a second half incident against Jesse Ramien that saw him sin binned and will pay $3000 with an early guilty plea, or risk two matches by heading to the judiciary.

Drinkwater, on the other hand, was hit with a Grade 1 dangerous contact charge for an incident against Siosifa Talakai which will see him pay $1800 for an early guilty plea or $2500 if he heads to the judiciary and loses.

Nanai, Hess, Drinkwater and the Cowboys will need to make a call on whether he will head to the judiciary or not by midday on Saturday.