The St George Illawarra Dragons’ faint hopes of a finals berth have been dealt a huge blow with the news that second-rower Tariq Sims will miss the rest of the season following a dangerous tackle on Sharks’ flyer Connor Tracey.
Sims was charged with a Grade 3 Careless High Tackle charge this morning and was sent to the sin-bin after the challenge. He was visibly distraught in the aftermath of the tackle, expressing genuine concern for his opponent after making contact with his shoulder into Tracey’s head as he fell.
As it’s Sims’ third charge of the year he’ll miss four weeks with an early guilty plea, and five should he unsuccessfully contest the charge.
With four games remaining in 2022, finals all-but out of sight and Sims off to join the Melbourne Storm next year, it brings his time in the Red V to an unfortunate end.
Sims has been a constant force for the Dragons since making a mid-season move to the club from Newcastle back in 2016. The Gerringong-born powerhouse has made 123 NRL appearances in the Red V and has earned repeated call-ups to the NSW Blues squad during his time at the club.
The Storm had reportedly made inquiries about bringing Sims to the club this year to address their ongoing injury problems, but the Dragons maintain they never received an approach.