Justin Olam's NRL season could be over after he was charged for the tackle which North Queensland coach Todd Payten believed could have broken Heilum Luki's jaw.
The Wests Tigers centre was sent off for contacting Luki's chin in the second half of Thursday night's loss to the Cowboys and has since been charged with a grade-three careless high tackle.
With an early guilty plea, Olam will miss the 17th-placed Tigers' next three games but risks sitting out another by challenging the charge at the judiciary.
A four-game ban would end his 2024 campaign, given Wests have a bye in the last five weeks of the regular season and are out of finals contention.
Olam has been struggling with a knee injury all season so is no guarantee of lining up in round 27 even if available for selection.
The ban is a blow for a Tigers side that has contended with injuries and suspensions in their fight to avoid a third consecutive wooden spoon.
Coach Benji Marshall has been forced to blood a league-high 11 debutants in response to the club's personnel crisis.
Adam Doueihi or out-of-favour Brent Naden both loom as options to come into the 17 for next week's clash against Newcastle.
Luki's young career has been chequered by injuries but he does not appear in doubt for the Cowboys' round-23 clash against Brisbane.
But Payten felt the prognosis could have ended far worse for the rangy 23-year-old after Olam jumped into the contact.
"(Luki) is very fortunate he hasn't got a broken jaw. He flushed him right on the end of his chin. Heilum's a big body, I don't think Justin's that big," the coach said.
"I thought (a send off) was the right call, I said it initially, straight in the box. I don't know how the referees missed it right in that very moment. It had to be referred (to the bunker)."
The second-rower held no grudges at full-time, but backed the referee's call to send Olam off.
"It's in the game. Things happen, it happens fast. It's all good," he said.
"As soon as I caught the ball I sort of turned out and he hit me. It was a bit of a shock but it's all good.
"He hit me pretty hard, whatever the ref wanted to call, it's his decision."
Olam became the latest Tigers player ordered from the field this season with the Tigers having had 15 players sin-binned across 20 games this year.
Veteran playmaker Aidan Sezer will return from his suspension for next Sunday's trip to Newcastle and is likely to replace Latu Fainu, who suffered a head knock against the Cowboys.
