Melbourne hooker Brandon Smith has escaped NRL suspension for a hip drop-style tackle on Gold Coast's Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, following a week of headlines concerning the illegal moves.
Playing his first game back from a three-match suspension for referee dissent, Smith was placed on report for the tackle during the win over Gold Coast on Friday night but was permitted to remain on the field.
Unlike most hip-drop tackles, Smith was the second man into the tackle not the third, and appeared to slide onto Fa'asuamaleaui's legs, rather than make a concerted effort to tackle them.
Fa'asuamaleaui left the field after the tackle but later returned to play.
On Saturday morning, the match review committee imposed a grade one dangerous contact charge, which carries a fine of $1800 if Smith takes an early plea.
Smith's tackle comes after a week of headlines concerning hip-drop tackles, which have the potential to cause serious leg injuries.
Brisbane's Patrick Carrigan was referred directly to the judiciary and banned for four weeks for a hip-drop tackle that broke Jackson Hastings' fibula in the loss to the Wests Tigers.
A hip-drop style tackle from Tevita Tatola left Cronulla's Will Kennedy with a syndesmosis injury last weekend but the South Sydney forward was not sanctioned on-field or after the game.
On Friday night, Storm coach Craig Bellamy pleaded with the match review committee not to let recent "hysteria" about similar tackles influence their grading of Smith's.
In the later game, on Friday night, Manly winger Jason Saab was placed on report for a dangerous throw on Will Penisini but he was not charged by the match review committee.
